Written by SNWA Friday, 28 September 2007 00:00
The answer was the recently held Science@Parliament event.
The event began with a Science Expo held at Parliament House in August that allowed politicians to drop in throughout the day and chat informally with scientists, advocates or industry representatives.
What made this event so different – and so well received by our law and policy makers – was that it was designed for informal chats only.
In a non-threatening way, it gave politicians the chance to meet with scientists who are excellent communicators and who have direct experience in areas relevant to our politicians’ portfolios and electorates.
Ten “hot topics” in science were chosen for their social and political importance to WA. These included health, environment, agriculture, minerals, energy, technology and climate change.
Eighty (out of a total of 91) parliamentarians attended either this event or a networking cocktail party hosted in the evening by members of the Premier’s Science and Innovation Council.
The large turn-out speaks volumes about the hunger for good scientific information, and similar events are planned for coming years.
Those who attended commented that it was the perfect way to get the information they needed. They liked the informal nature of the communication, and the way it was backed up with clearly written fact sheets.
We trust that the parliamentarians’ exposure to cutting-edge, up to the minute science relevant to our State will help inform future policies and laws. It clearly has already boosted political awareness of science.
I’m looking forward to science becoming a permanent fixture at Parliament House, with the next Science@Parliament event planned for March next year.
Professor Lyn Beazley
Chief Scientist of Western Australia
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