The chief Scientists all in a row.

 

Every state and territory has an office of the Chief Scientist.  The Australian Federal Government also has a Chief Scientist and the government relies upon the Australian Chief Scientist for advise to the Government of Australia on scientific and technological issues.

The Chief Scientist holds the position of Executive Officer to the PMSEIC.  The PMSEIC is the Prime Minister's Science and engineering Council.

The Chief Scientist chairs the Research Quality Framework Development Advisory Group, the National Research Priorities Standing Committee and is a member of other key Government committees:

• Coordination Committee on Science and Technology
• Prime Minister's Science Prizes Committee
• Cooperative Research Centres Committee
• Publicly Funded Research Agencies Committee
• Commonwealth, State and Territory Advisory Council on Innovation
• National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy Committee

The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is part of Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR). Its primary responsibilities are to support the Chief Scientist and the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC).

The Office of the Chief Scientist provides secretariat services to the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC), announced by John Howard on 18 December 1997.

Prior to 1997, the council was known as the Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council (PMSEC), and had 15 meetings from 6 October 1989 to 10 December 1997.

It was established by Ralph Slatyer, the first Chief Scientist.  

Meetings

The council usually holds two meetings each year, facilitated and advised by the OCS. In 2003, the council only met once. The OCS undertakes the establishment and support for the Council's ad-hoc working groups.

The Council has in the past met to discuss:

• emerging areas of science
  • nanotechnology
• important strategic interests where science plays a role
  • Antarctic science
  • deforestation
  • effects of brain disorders
  • premature death
  • environment
• growing technology based small and medium enterprises

Recipients of the Prime Minister's Prize for Science, previously known as The Australia Prize becomes a member of the Council for the following year.