Advice on open access models
Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, has released a report that makes the case for free access to academic journal articles for all Australians.
Dr Foley’s model would also provide free access for anyone anywhere in the world to journal articles with an Australian-based lead author.
At the moment, most journal articles are locked behind paywalls, and only easily available to people with subscriptions, such as university staff and students. A number of countries have adopted systems that seek to provide easier access or 'open access' to a broader section of the community.
Dr Foley's advice to Government, Advice on open access models: Unlocking knowledge for national benefit examines existing models for open access and proposes a new model – a 'public access' model.
The advice makes two recommendations:
Recommendation 1: The Australian Government should develop and implement a strategy to maximise access to academic journals for the Australian community.
Recommendation 2: The Government should undertake further analysis to develop the preferred model that will deliver the greatest benefit for Australia, from both an economic and social perspective.
Dr Foley hosted a webinar on open access on 12 September 2024:
Download the advice
Advice on open access models: unlocking knowledge for national benefit [PDF]
Advice on open access models: unlocking knowledge for national benefit [DOCX]
Further developments and updates to the advice that was finalised in 2023 are outlined in an addendum.
Download the addendum
Addendum to advice on open access models: unlocking knowledge for national benefit [PDF]
Addendum to advice on open access models: unlocking knowledge for national benefit [DOCX]
Read a statement from Australia's Chief Scientist
The following reports were commissioned by the Office of the Chief Scientist to inform the advice to government:
Ernst & Young briefing paper
A national strategy for open access: Briefing paper [PDF]
A national strategy for open access: Briefing paper [DOCX]
CSIRO Futures prospective analysis
Prospective analysis of a national open access strategy for Australia [PDF]
Prospective analysis of a national open access strategy for Australia [DOCX]
Professor Duncan Ivison 'long tail' analysis