Universities did not get much spot-light at the Jobs and Skills summit so advocates cannot but applaud the prime minister speech to CEDA yesterday

“Government can’t be in the business of dictating breakthroughs or directing research but it does have a vital responsibility to invest in our research agencies and universities and to support the field of smart and skilled Australians who will lead this work,” Mr Albanese’s distributed text states.

He added three things government can do,

“* signalling a respect for science, evidence and research

* valuing foundational work – as well as commercial applications

* “creating a sense of certainty and support for long-term projects, so researchers and scientists can do their work without looking over their shoulder, or spending their time re-applying for funding”