FROM THE PRESIDENT - FINAL ORDERS

Fellow members, my term as President finishes this month. It has been a busy year and I appreciate the support that I have received from members and fellow Directors. Martin Playne suggested that I should write some hard-hitting, fearless piece as this is my last editorial. Well I am not sure. Maybe we are all weary of talk about infrastructure, basic research funding, government incentives, venture capital funds and so on. We seem to be either talking about the industry revving up or complaining about the lack of government support. We applaud every IPO, every successful company listing and every new strategic venture from Canberra. But we don't hear so much about the plight of scientists and the fact that many are doing it pretty tough. The science career path in Australia has always been risky. Ask any scientist if they can name a colleague earning over $100K - chances are they can't, apart from the odd vice-chancellor, if they happen to work in a university. Ask if they can name someone in business and most will have no difficulty naming half a dozen. Ask a colleague if they personally know an Australian working in the US, or if they know of a friend, relation, or colleague recently made redundant and you'll get a yes...