19 August 2026
With National Science Week being a celebration of the ingenuity and innovation that Australian science delivers, CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, is calling for action to ensure Australia will benefit from our scientific expertise.
“National Science Week is a wonderful way to celebrate what Australian science can achieve,” said CropLife Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Cossey. “We have a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to. With Australia’s agricultural sector reliant on innovation from scientific progress and with new agricultural technologies supporting productivity and sustainability, the future of our agricultural sector and food security requires policy reforms that will ensure these innovations reach the paddock.”
In Australia, plant science innovation helps agricultural industries produce safe, high-quality, affordable and abundant food and fibre that is competitive on world markets. Innovations in chemistry have increased Australian crop yields by about 40 per cent as well as increasing the value of our food production by $13 billion each year. Just as scientific innovation has underpinned advances in crop protection, gene technologies are opening new opportunities to improve the productivity, adaptability and sustainability of Australian agriculture.
Australia has the scientists, the research infrastructure and the agricultural base to lead in this sector, but its regulatory settings have not kept pace with the technologies they are meant to govern.
That mismatch is beginning to impact on gene technology research, with institutions cautious about committing time and funding to research that will not have a clear path to market with outdated, costly and unnecessary regulation. It is also being felt by the investment community, as other jurisdictions have already modernised their own legislative frameworks.
“The national scientific sector should be able to feel confident in funding and undertaking this research, and companies should feel confident backing Australia knowing it can be deployed for the benefit of the Australian community. The longer reform takes to complete, the harder that confidence is to rebuild,” said Mr Cossey.
“During National Science Week especially, we welcome the work underway to finish this reform and look forward to a modernised national framework that provides clarity for researchers, regulators and innovators,” concluded Mr Cossey.
ENDS