Responsible Innovation meets parliament
Science Meets Parliament brings scientists from across Australia’s innovation sector together with parliamentarians to foster meaningful connections and mutual understanding. In February 2025, Tim Bainbridge, a postdoctoral fellow working across our Responsible Innovation and Immune Resilience Future Science Platforms, attended the 25th annual Science Meets Parliament event in Canberra.
The conference included a series of panel discussions from experts on a range of topics, as well as a Gala Dinner in the evening. The second day offered scientists and parliamentarians an opportunity to meet.
This year, the opening session included Bill Shorten—now representing the University of Canberra—who discussed the problem of making science funding a political priority, and how to make science research matter to everyday Australians. Bill was followed by an appearance from CSIRO CEO Doug Hilton, who discussed fostering and maintaining trust in science—an issue close to our hearts in Responsible Innovation.
Prominent current and former political advisors illuminated the challenges faced by politicians in weighing the importance of hundreds of conversations or communications every day. The advice emphasised the need to tailor science findings to politicians’ areas of interest, in order to hold their attention and communicate its significance.
The political advisor session was followed by advice from outside the bubble, with prominent advocates (lobbyists) discussing the issues of supporting a movement from its infancy through to legislation. They discussed the importance of identifying allies and opposition, anticipating opposition commentary, and staying on message. They also noted the importance of keeping allies from populating the topic with extraneous or unrelated comments that may harm the message.
The final advisory session involved experts discussing communications techniques and strategies. They advised being personable, taking the research, and having a public profile with a description of the work in layman’s English. They stressed the importance of avoiding jargon, knowing your message and sticking to it.
The day session finished with powerful session revisiting Australia’s history from an Indigenous perspective. The session including stories of Bennelong—the first Aboriginal to travel to Europe and return; Bungaree—the first Australian to circumnavigate Australia; and William Buckley of “you’ve got Buckley’s” fame—the British convict who survived by living with Aboriginals in the Port Philip Bay area for over 30 years after escaping from a failed penal colony on the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria).
The day concluded with a Gala Dinner at the National Museum of Australia. The dinner was a formal affair, which included short speeches from Sam Mostyn AC, the Governor General; Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science; Claire Chandler, Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts; and newly appointed Chief Scientist Tony Haymet.
Throughout the day, Tim had interesting discussions on topics ranging from complex imagine hardware to be installed on a satellite; new solar panel technology; regulation on building fire safety; the under-utilisation of subsidised allied health services for diabetics; and, of course, his own research, especially his modelling of social media activity and its role in echo chamber formation.