Indolent Australia's high-level R&D review will miss the target

The paper's Executive Summary makes a conventional claim – Australia's a research ace. Up to a point, but there's too much inconsequential "research" chasing dodgy international rankings.

No quarrel, when the panel claims our economy lacks complexity, and R&D has slid. No opportunities will be "ignored" they promise hand on heart.

Their first chapter, Case for R&D, says R&D can build growth and productivity. Sure, but the absurd claim of Australia having "lower population growth" is just Treasury Line.

Solely this century, Treasury has engineered a world-beating 46% acceleration to 27 million, 40 million-plus being their target. That might help explain the Figure 1 "backsliding productivity" shock or Figure 3 "economic simplicity" horror. Under Treasury Rules, however, government reports don't make those connections. Suits stakeholders.

Then, strong R&D is in the "national interest" to address "complex challenges". Fair enough, but here comes a rerun, of Treasury's net-zero "transformation".

What's the State of Australia's R&D system? We've strong foundational research (maybe), underinvest in R&D (sure) and underdo "experimental development" (obvious).

Universities and industry are both on the same gravy-train – Treasury's quantitative-peopling not business-led economy. Why would either team bust a boiler for experimental development?

Now to Key issues, among our 40 universities, 60-plus medical or public research agencies, and other non-government research entities.

With "pressures on operating models", university revenues and R&D are linked to enrolment "patterns in student markets". Talk about economical with the truth.

Denholm stays mum, on Australia's outsized overseas-student operations. Which masquerade as our fourth largest "export" after the Fe and CH's.

It's no secret, casually-vetted cash-cow international students claim around half our massive net-migration. Giving us the highest international student-intensity of any advanced nation.

Astonishingly, with one third of 1% of world population, we carry close on 15% of the international-student trade. That's a South Seas bubble for "vice" chancellors not a sustainable industry.