Mr McGAURAN (Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) (9:24 AM) —I move:

The Australian Institute of Marine Science, AIMS, is a public sector research agency with the mission to generate and transfer knowledge to support the sustainable use and protection of the marine environment through innovative, world-class scientific and technological research.

Mr Crean —A very good organisation.

Mr McGAURAN —The member for Hotham, as a former science minister, as I am, joins me in acknowledging the record of achievement and service of AIMS and all associated with it over a very long time. The member for Hotham will remember Dr Joe Baker, as a director of AIMS based in Townsville, laying the foundation stone for the great research organisation it is today.

AIMS was established by the Australian Institute of Marine Science Act 1972 in recognition of the growing importance of the marine sector to Australia. The AIMS Research Plan 2003-06 identified that the work of AIMS contributes to four of the national research priorities: an environmentally sustainable Australia, frontier technologies for building and transforming Australian industries, promoting and maintaining good health, and safeguarding Australia. AIMS research also contributes to the implementation of Australia's Oceans Policy, which provides an integrated strategy for the exploration and ecologically sustainable utilisation of marine natural resources. The development and actioning of regional marine plans is an important part of this policy, and AIMS work is contributing to the progress of such plans for Australia's tropical oceans.

AIMS research and other activities have a tropical and Northern Australia focus, with scientists based at three locations: Townsville, Queensland—the main site; Darwin, Northern Territory; and Fremantle, Western Australia. AIMS builds critical mass through collaborative arrangements, both nationally and internationally. AIMS's current research plan includes three new initiatives to enhance collaboration. These are the Arafura Timor Research Facility, a major national research facility run jointly with the Australian National University; the AIMS and United States National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration strategic partnership, which examines coral reef ecology, water quality and climate change; and, thirdly, the AIMS@JCU joint venture, a formal collaborative arrangement between AIMS and James Cook University.

The AIMS@JCU joint venture has the purpose of formally strengthening the ties between AIMS and James Cook University. The Australian government provided AIMS with funds in the 2003-04 federal budget to help implement the joint venture and hence further contribute to making Townsville one of the world's acclaimed centres for research and teaching in marine science. The joint venture agreement was signed on 17 June 2004 and an independently chaired board of management has been established. The board is overseeing the strategic management and decisions pertaining to the joint venture.

The AIMS@JCU joint venture has identified to date two research programs as core activities under the agreement. They are aquaculture and coastal processes and marine modelling. The joint venture will examine the potential for a biotech program in 2005. AIMS and JCU agreed to use the funds provided by the Australian government for the joint venture to build a state-of-the-art fibre optic communication link between the two institutions and to fund extra research student places.

The first part of the bill contains amendments that will further support collaboration between AIMS and JCU. Through the appointment of a JCU nominated member to the Council for the Institute of Marine Science, the governing body of AIMS, greater coordination between the two institutions will be encouraged. Increasing council membership in this way, from the current six to seven members, is intended to specifically support the endeavours of the AIMS@JCU joint venture while not affecting the council's current capacity to access expertise external to AIMS.

The inclusion of a JCU nominated member on the council is an action that accords with the findings from the 2004 Review of Closer Collaboration Between Universities and Major Publicly Funded Research Agencies. This review found that the current level of collaboration is extensive, at the individual researcher level, but there is an opportunity to enhance the level of collaboration at the organisational and higher strategic level.

The proposed change of the title of the head of AIMS from `Director' to `Chief Executive Officer' accords with current terminology for such a position, for example as in use by the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council. `Chief Executive Officer' clearly identifies the holder of the office as the head of AIMS, clarity that is important when developing professional relationships and arrangements on behalf of AIMS.

I wish to thank all those involved in bringing about this joint venture and the officials from the Department of Education, Science and Training who ensured that the interests of both institutions were protected and even enhanced by this arrangement, all in the interests of better and greater science. In particular, I wish to thank the previous director of AIMS, Steven Hall, and his successor—the current director, Ian Poiner—both outstanding scientists and administrators of AIMS. I wish them well under the leadership of the chairman of the AIMS council, Norbury Rogers, who brings a great deal of dedication and hard work to his role. All at AIMS are to be congratulated in partnership with JCU for this landmark collaboration of a formal kind which will lead to better science and therefore better and more sustainable use of the coastal and tropical environment. Congratulations to all involved. I commend the bill to the House and present the explanatory memorandum.

Debate (on motion by Mr Crean) adjourned.