The 17th meeting of the National Science and Technology Council was held in Canberra on 29 November 2023.

The Minister for Industry and Science and Deputy Chair of the Council, the Hon Ed Husic MP, opened the meeting and acknowledged the First Nations custodians of the land.

The Council’s agenda covered three topics. The first was a discussion with the Prime Minister on stationary energy storage and emerging battery technologies, including research and development in Australia. The meeting also included a presentation of the Council’s advice on research commissioned by the Council and the Chief Scientist on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career pathways. Finally, the Council considered research assessment with the Minister for Industry and Science. The Council also discussed enhancing the reach and impact of the Council’s work more broadly across government.

The Prime Minister spoke about the Government’s ambition for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower and highlighted the opportunities in battery technologies to support Australia’s transition to net zero.

Invited experts, Professor Peter Talbot and Professor Maria Forsyth, noted that domestic production of batteries was driven by factors such as sovereign capability, battery needs for large mining vehicles and defence requirements, and Australia’s need for stationary storage. Professors Talbot and Forsyth noted the next stage of development would be driven by automation and scale up, both of which will require significant investment. They emphasised that one of the opportunities for Australia was to become a manufacturer of battery cells and components with sodium-ion chemistries being a prospective candidate for next-generation batteries. They said this is because they have comparable properties to existing lithium-ion technology, are safer to use and have the potential to be low-cost.

The Council’s advice on the STEM Career Pathways and Research Assessment in Australia: Evidence for Modernisation reports included a number of recommendations to improve attraction and retention of STEM workers and enhance mobility of researchers between academia, government and the private sector. The recommendations cut across the development of system-wide principles and systems of research assessment.

The Council discussed the importance of ensuring visibility of the Council’s work across government. Alongside the support of the Prime Minister and Minister for Industry and Science, having depth of engagement across government was considered critical to raising the profile of scientific advice to policy makers. To support their work, the Council will develop a workplan in early 2024.

Minister Husic emphasised the value of the Council and the expertise of its members, to improve the economy as well as improve social wellbeing. The Minister noted how important the Council’s work is and the Government’s commitment to ensuring science has maximum impact.

The next Council meeting will be held in March 2024.