Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 25—Science and innovation 865
The pace of change in science
and innovation
Dr Keith Boardman
Dr Keith Boardman AO FRS FAA FTSE is a former
Chairman and Chief Executive of the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation. Prior to becoming a
Member of the Executive of the CSIRO in 1977, Dr
Boardman had a distinguished career as a Chief
Research Scientist in the Division of Plant
Industry of CSIRO, where his research
involved unravelling the mechanisms of
photosynthesis in green plants and
investigating the adaptation of plants to their
light environment.
Introduction
Science and innovation are now accepted as key
elements for the economic advancement,
competitiveness and the wellbeing of nations,
although the linkages between scientific
investigation, technological innovation, national
wealth and social wellbeing are complex and involve
many interacting elements. Over the 20th century
increasing resources were devoted to research and
development and to technological innovation in the
developed countries, leading to increased
mechanisation and capital investment and
producing great changes in the use of labour and
improvements in the standard of living. The pace of
change in innovation, with potential to impact on
most facets of our lives, is not showing any signs of
diminishing as we enter the 21st century.
Major scientific discoveries of the 20th century
were the splitting of the atom in 1932 at
Cambridge University, the invention of the
transistor at the Bell Laboratories in the USA in
1947, the isolation of penicillin and the discovery
of its antibiotic potency in the UK, the elucidation
of the structure of DNA at Cambridge University
in 1953 followed by the unravelling of the genetic
code of all living organisms. The 20th century saw
a diminution in the time span between a major
scientific discovery and its exploitation for the
benefit or disbenefit of mankind. The transistor
could be considered to have had the greatest
impact on our lives with the revolution of
communication, including the development of
the personal computer, the Internet, world wide
web and electronic mail.
Over the century science in Australia has grown at
a pace comparable to that of the industrialised
nations, but gains in productivity and
improvements in industrial competitiveness
have relied mainly on the import of
technology with adaptation to meet Australia’s
particular needs. Universities of international
standard have provided skilled graduates
needed by industry and the community as
well as performing research that underpins
innovation and allows access to international
advances in science and technology.
This article contrasts the situation for science
and innovation at the time of Federation and
now, and identifies events during the century
that have most influenced science and
innovation in Australia. It outlines some
significant Australian discoveries and discusses
issues for science and innovation in Australia
in the 21st century. The article does not cover
medical science and innovations in medicine.
Science and innovation at
the time of Federation
At the time of Federation, Australia’s wealth
was derived from the export of commodities
from the agricultural and pastoral industries
and products of the mineral industry. Wool
and gold were the leading exports and
Australia enjoyed a very high income per
capita. The doubling of the area of land
under cultivation in the two decades before
Federation was greatly assisted by the
mechanisation of farming. For instance, the
cost and time of vegetation clearance in the
Mallee regions of Victoria and South Australia
were reduced considerably by the invention
of the scrub roller, and the cultivation of
partially cleared land was facilitated by the