The Australian Academy of Science adds to the case

Along the lines of the one at Westminster, such in Canberra would  provide Commonwealth MPs and senators with advice independent of the executive and the internet.

This is especially important for parliamentary committees, the academy argues, because they “are not well set up to identify poor quality information and are therefore vulnerable to erroneous data and deliberate misinformation.” This rather underestimates the nous of most members and senators and the acuity of committee staffers but does not detract from the case. Which was well made in CMM last year by then Labor senator Kim Carr.

But the coalition wasn’t interested,  stating that “a new body would see more taxpayer money spent on more bureaucracy … and see no appreciable gain in the effectiveness or the efficacy of scientific advice”.

Worth asking in-coming deputy prime minister Richard Marles, whose portfolio in opposition included science. Labor and Green senators backed  holding a committee inquiry into an office last year, (CMM August 6 2021),