Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 25—Science and innovation 873
Production was also established at Prospect. CSIR
also formed new sections for research in
meteorological physics, building materials and
coal, and the increases in appropriation funding
also enabled the rapid expansion of existing
Divisions.
Rivett strongly felt that all CSIR Divisions should
have an appropriate balance between longer-term
basic research and the more applied research.
The basic research was essential to underpin the
applied programs and ensure that CSIR scientists
remained in touch with relevant overseas
developments in their field. The 1950s saw a
revitalisation of the Division of Plant Industry in
Canberra under a new chief, O. H. Frankel. There
was an expansion in basic research in areas of
plant genetics, physiology, biochemistry, ecology,
microbiology and soil physics. The Division
achieved international recognition as one of the
world’s leading plant research laboratories for its
significant advances in several areas of plant
biology. A section of the Division under the
leadership of J. Griffith Davies was established in
Brisbane to introduce new pastures to the
tropical regions. It later became the Division of
Tropical Crops and Pastures. A land research and
regional survey section under C. S. Christian was
established to survey the northern part of
Australia for agricultural development. It became
the Division of Land Research. The Division of
Industrial Chemistry was split into six separate
divisions. Eventually, the large number of
divisions in CSIRO led to problems for the
coordination and management of the research
and the allocation of resources.
At the end of the war, the Division of
Radiophysics had a large team of scientists that
had acquired considerable expertise with
advanced microwave technology from the
wartime work on radar. The Division was keen to
apply the new radar techniques to peacetime
activities such as radio propagation, navigation
and the study of weather and climate. Among the
programs selected was a new area of
radioastronomy. The Division attracted other
young scientists and the radioastronomy group,
under the inspired leadership of J. L. Pawsey,
pioneered the development of radioastronomy.
Several of the scientists received considerable
international recognition, including election to
Fellowship of The Royal Society for the discovery
of radio stars and research on the radio emissions
of the sun, which transformed the perception of
the solar corona. The giant 64 metre radio
telescope, which was commissioned at Parkes in
1961, proved to be a very successful research
instrument and was the tool for pioneering
studies on the Magellanic Clouds.
The Cold War period in the late 1940s
created problems for CSIR, due mainly to its
involvement with defence related research
work in the Aeronautics Division. Rivett was
strongly in favour of freedom in the search
for and exchange of knowledge and opposed
to secrecy. The Australian Government was
keen to demonstrate to the United States
and the UK that it could protect classified
information. CSIR also came under attack
from opposition politicians for its failure to
introduce adequate security arrangements
for sensitive defence related research,
including the lack of security screening of
staff. There were moves to place CSIR under
bureaucratic control within a Government
Department. The Chifley Government
resisted these but decided to change the
management of CSIR. Under the new Science
and Industry Research Act of 1949, CSIR
became the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO),
and responsibility for the management was
transferred from a Council to an Executive of
five members with three full-time and two
part-time. The Chairman was one of the
full-time members.
In the 1950s several industrial companies in
Australia established large new research
laboratories, including ICI Australia,
Monsanto, BHP, CSR, Australian Paper
Manufacturers, Australian Consolidated
Industries and Repco. It augured well for an
increase in private sector research in
Australia which was low by comparison with
the industrial nations of Europe.
The Australian Academy of Science, modelled
on the Royal Society of Great Britain, was
founded under Royal Charter in 1954 to
promote the natural sciences in Australia and
recognise outstanding contributions to the
advancement of knowledge by scientists
resident in Australia.
In 1950 the budgets of the universities for
research totalled only £350,000 compared to
the CSIRO budget of £2.35 m. The contrast
between CSIRO, with its quality staff and
good conditions, and the universities, with
high teaching loads and poor facilities and
equipment for research, was very noticeable