Samantha Wong-Topp
CBCS PhD candidate
Earlier this year, two CBCS postdoctoral research fellows, Dr Lily Bentley and Dr Alice Twomey, were invited to attend Science Meets Parliament, a national event that connects scientists with policy-makers to bridge the gap between research and decision-making.
For both Lily and Alice, the experience was a unique opportunity to take an inside look at how Parliament operates – how quickly things can move and just how valuable timely, well-communicated research can be.
“I hadn’t realised just how busy politicians are. At times, the bells were ringing every ten minutes, summoning them to Parliament. If you want to discuss your research, your elevator pitch needs to be perfect – you might literally only have the time it takes for a single elevator ride to make your case!” Alice says.
“The entire event was a superb insight into how decisions are made in the Australian political context”, Lily adds. “I appreciated hearing from an incredibly unfiltered Bill Shorten, who has recently made the jump from politics to academia, as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra. Hearing such frank discussion from someone whose previous role required a highly controlled media presence was a unique opportunity – and provided a lot of insight into one VC’s perspective on the potential challenges facing the university sector.”
EPBC Act reform and other challenges
Participants were given the chance to meet with Parliamentarians. Lily sat down with Senator Karen Grogan, who has worked extensively on reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and discussed how research may be able to support the case for better environmental laws.
“Having insight into how politicians might use the research we publish has helped hone my focus to ensure I am answering the right questions and communicating my results to the right channels”, Lily says. “While I don’t believe that every scientist should feel obliged to engage with policy-makers, there are certainly some of us for whom doing so can be a real advantage. In particular, I think if you’re engaging with issues that might be viewed as politically ‘challenging’, like conservation, the insight you can gain from discussions with law-makers can really help to see where the gaps in knowledge are”.
Museum.
Image credit: Supplied.
Putting research into the right hands
The experience also evolved Alice’s approach to science communication. “It really made me realise that no one is going to ‘stumble’ on my research and use it in policy. I need to put it in someone’s hands”, Alice says. “When I publish research in the future, I’ll write a half-page summary and send it directly to the policy-makers and decision-makers who can benefit most. I’ll also offer to meet with them for a quick, five-minute explanation – after all, politicians are busy people!”
Image credit: Lily Bentley.
Who can use your research?
Attending the event gave both researchers valuable clarity on how to integrate policy engagement into their academic work. “Moving forward, I feel much more confident to participate in policy conversations, and to reach out to members of Parliament about issues related to my research. Australia is a representative democracy – parliamentarians should actually represent their constituents! We also heard from First Nations academics and professionals, including journalist John Paul Janke and Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths, on collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and communities to better include their perspectives and sovereignty in academia and policy. These discussions were incredibly useful, and I look forward to applying what I learned as I move forward in my career”, Lily says.
Echoing this call to action, Alice reflects: “In many of my published articles, I end the abstract with, “These findings have implications for policy and decisionmakers”. But this event made me realise that those decision-makers have names – and I can speak to them directly. It’s not enough to publish research and hope the right person stumbles upon it. You need to put it in their hands and have a conversation. This event was a clear call to action: Who is the person who can use your research?”
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