Australian Science Media Centre

The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) ostensibly aims to provide a link between the scientific community and the Australian news media and is based on the model of the UK Science Media Centre. The organisation was launched by then South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Susan Greenfield on 2 August, 2005.

Origins

In April 2005 Rebecca Morelle of the UK Science Media Centre alerted Australian science communicators that she was involved in setting up the Australian SMC:

As some of you may have already heard - and I think there has been some talk on this forum - that there is going to be an Australian version of the Science Media Centre, based in Adelaide. It is currently in the process of being set up. I am going to be coming over to Australia at the end of this month for a period of 6 weeks to lend a helping hand to this process, which I am obviously very excited about! One of the things I'll be working with Aus SMC on, will be to help carry out a similar process to one that the SMC Director (Fiona Fox) and I carried out in the UK before we opened - and that was to consult widely with the UK community (science correspondents, press officers, news journalists, scientists, politicians etc)

Morelle appealed for help with the consultation:

during my 6 week visit (28th April to 10th June), I will be based in Adelaide but spending time in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne etc and I would like to consult people from the groups of key stakeholders of the centre: ie the science correspondents, press officers, news journalists, scientists, politicians, science communicators etc. So... it would be incredibly helpful if you could:

a. let me know if you are one of the above people that I should be meeting

b.Let me know of your top 10 people that I should be meeting.

c.If you could point me to any sites/documents on science and the media in Australia that would also be great!

On the launch of the Australian SMC its CEO Susannah Elliott noted that: ‘A National Consultation process directed by Becky Morelle, co-founder of the SMC in the UK, was used to guide the establishment of the Centre.’

Activities

Nuclear

In July 2013 the SMC published an online 'Background Briefing: Is nuclear the answer to Australia’s energy needs?' on its website ahead of a national conference held by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (AATSE) in Sydney.

The conference, titled 'Nuclear Energy for Australia?' included presentations by Australian SMC Patron Professor Alan Finkel, Professor Ken Baldwin, Director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University, and Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe from Griffith University, who also sits on the SMC Advisory Panel.

The SMC briefing discusses the following issues:

• Does Australia need to resume the nuclear debate?
• Cost of current renewable and low emission technologies – where does nuclear fit in?
• What are the Australian public’s current attitudes to and concerns about nuclear power?

People

Staff

Staff team in 2013:

• Susannah Eliott, CEO
• Lyndal Byford, Media Manager (part-time)
• Nigel Kerby, Project Manager
• Joseph Milton, Senior Media Officer
• Marilyn Arnold, Office Manager (part time)
• Lucy Simmonds, Communications Officer
• Annika Dean, Media Officer
• Karen Noble, Executive Assistant to the CEO
• Annie Hastwell, Journalist (Part time)

Australian Patron

• Professor Alan Finkel, currently Patron of the Australian SMC. Is President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

Board Members

The Board is chaired by Peter Yates AM and meets four times a year. Deputy chairs are Robyn Williams from the ABC andDr Graham Mitchell, Chief Scientist of Victoria. Other board members include:

• Peter Yates AM, Chair Chairman, RiAus and Chairman, Business and Economics Board, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne
• Jim Carroll Executive Producer, World News Australia, SBS
• John Croll Chief Executive Officer, iSentia
• Professor Merlin Crossley Dean of Science, The University of New South Wales (UNSW)
• Professor David Day Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Flinders University
• Michael Ellies Business and media consultant
• Brad Hatch Director of Communications, Fairfax Media
• Oona Nielssen General Manager: Communication, CSIRO
• Professor Mary O’Kane NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
• Melvin Mansell State Editorial Director, SA, WA & NT, News Corp Australia
• Fiona McLeod External Affairs Manager, Australia Pacific LNG
• Dr Graham Mitchell, Deputy Chair Chief Scientist, State Govt of Victoria
• Professor Rob Morrison Freelance science communicator
• TBA The University of Melbourne
• Hon Jay Weatherill Premier, Govt of South Australia
• Robyn Williams, Deputy Chair Presenter, Science Show, ABC
• Dr Paul Willis Director, RiAus

Science Advisory Panel

The Science Advisory Panel membership includes:

• Professor Snow Barlow Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture, School of Agricultural and Food Systems, University of Melbourne
• Dr Alan Finkel AM President, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) (and AusSMC patron)
• Professor Lyn Beazley AO Chief Scientist of WA, Professor of Zoology, University of Western Australia
• Emeritus Professor Max Brennan AO Former Chief Scientist for South Australia
• Professor Adrienne Clarke AC Chancellor, La Trobe University, Melbourne
• Professor Alan Cooper Director, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide
• Professor Marcello Costa FAA Professor of Neurophysiology, School of Medicine, Flinders University
• Professor Derek Denton AC Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne
• Professor Peter Doherty AC Laureate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne
• Professor Tim Flannery Macquarie University
• Profesor Michael Holland President, Science and Technology Australia
• Professor Bryan Gaensler Institute of Astronomy, University of Sydney
• Dr Geoff Garrett AO Queensland Chief Scientist
• Baroness Professor Susan A Greenfield CBE Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK (Also International Patron of the AusSMC)
• Professor Richard Head Director, Sansom Institute for Health Research
• Professor Robert Hill Head of Sciences, SA Museum and Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Adelaide
• Professor Marcia Langton AM Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies, School of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Melbourne
• Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO School of Science, Griffith University and President, Australian Conservation Foundation
• Professor Caroline McMillen Vice Chancellor, The University of Newcastle
• Emeritus Professor Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
• Professor Linda Rosenman President, Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS)
• Professor Michelle Simmons Federation Fellow, School of Physics, University of New South Wales
• Professor Fiona Stanley AC Director, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
• Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich Faculty of Science, School of Geosciences, Monash University
• Professor Malcolm Walter Director, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales
• Professor Bob Williamson AO Senior Principal Research Fellow of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Melbourne

Past SAP members

• Professor Ken Baldwin former President of FASTS
• Stuart Cunningham former President of CHASS
• Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner AC CMG MBE Visiting Fellow at John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University
• Professor David Henry University of Newcastle (now based overseas)
• Professor Peter Andrews AO Former Queensland Chief Scientist
• Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis AC MBE Department of Microbiology, University of Melbourne
• Professor Robin Batterham AO University of Melbourne

Resources

• Rebecca Morelle Consultation Report for the Australian Science Media Centre, June 2005.
• Susan Greenfield Getting to the Future First, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Adelaide SA 5001, January 2006.

Contact

Address: Australian Science Media Centre, C/- The Science Exchange, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia

Website: http://www.smc.org.au

Tel: +61 8 7120 8666

E-mail: info [AT] smc.org.au

Twitter: @AusSMC

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AusSMC