The Horror

According to the journal Nature, I'm currently working in a "culture of fear". This in reference to recent publicity and debate (public and private) over the potential censorship of CSIRO scientists by politicians, particularly in the arena of climate change. The story broke via the ABC television program Four Corners (with a segment amusingly entitled "The Greenhouse Mafia"), where various individuals, including current and former CSIRO employees, were asked to comment on the freedom (or lack thereof) of scientists to speak openly on the issue of climate change. This led to various press articles (here and here)and the drafting of many a talking point by various individuals (including Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil fame - now an MP)within both government and CSIRO.

At the end of the day, however, public sector scientists are accountable to the public, and maintaining the objectivity of research institutions necessitates that such institutes go to pains to avoid critique of, or advocacy for, public policy. Furthermore, there will always be a bit of backroom maneuvering, but if scientists here think they've got it bad, they should try spending some time in the U.S.