The Australian government should have spent more of its budget surplus on building the nation's future r&d capacity rather than tax breaks, say commentators in the science community.
The 2006-07 federal budget has delivered A$5.97 billion for science and innovation and $559.6 million to universities, primarily for capital developments.
While the government describes the spending on science and innovation as being at record level, and points to a big boost given to medical research, many say the government's spending priorities are leaving Australia behind in terms of future capacity.
Professor Snow Barlow of the University of Melbourne says the amount spent on science and innovation may be a record in absolute terms, but as a percentage of gross national product it is decreasing.
"It's actually lower than it's been in 20 years," says Barlow, who is a former member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.
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