"As Australia’s Chief Scientist, I have long advocated the need for a common set of advice to school students about the importance of studying core subjects.

Completing fundamental subjects in secondary school, such as history, languages, mathematics, and science, combined with a strong foundation in English, is essential to equip young Australians with the agility and flexibility to navigate life post-school, regardless of whether they continue to tertiary studies or enter the workforce directly.

The National STEM School Education Resources Toolkit was a key recommendation of the STEM Partnerships Forum and aims to help teachers, school leaders, industry partners and other providers to deliver high quality STEM initiatives in schools.

Australia’s response to the devastating bushfires of the 2019 summer must be two-fold. First, adaptation – how we prepare for and respond to fires. And second, mitigation – which means a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

When was the last time you read the terms and conditions before clicking “accept”? The amount of personal information we are giving up in the digital sphere is astonishing, and will only increase with our ever-higher reliance on artificial intelligence as it takes off in self-driving cars, automated medicine, and security and law enforcement.

Australians who have studied science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are helping to solve the problems of the future—meeting electricity demand and generation needs, adapting to the changing climate, integrating AI into society and optimising healthcare for ageing populations.

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) is leading the inaugural intake of the Australian Public Service (APS) Graduate Development Program’s STEM stream. Successful applicants will be able to undertake STEM-related graduate roles in 2021 within DISER, as well as other APS departments and agencies.

"Today, we find ourselves in a moment of great challenge; a moment that is re-shaping the way we live, the way we work, and the way we teach and learn.
And yet, it's important to recognise that this situation is not somehow unique or hopeless."

"We must always remember this basic truth: no matter how fast the pace of AI innovation, it must never surpass the primacy of human rights."

With global collaboration essential in tackling COVID-19, this past week has seen Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, contributing to a range of discussions across Australian states and territories, and international borders.