(Adopted October 2014; Updated August 2020)
Principles
The Queensland Greens believe that:
1. Science is a critical tool for developing a deeper understanding of our universe. It is important for Queenslanders to be scientifically literate, value knowledge and welcome innovation.
2. Government has an important role to play in the development of scientific knowledge, especially in facilitating the emergence and application of new technologies.
3. New technologies are powerful drivers for success in business and industry, and improvements in health and lifestyle.
4. Innovations in science and technology are essential if we are to meet the challenges of addressing the climate crisis and the transition to a sustainable society.
5. The scientific tradition of independent, peer-reviewed research is essential to the gaining of high-quality knowledge about the impact of human activities on human and environmental health and wellbeing, and must not be compromised.
Aims
The Queensland Greens will:
1. Support a scientific research and development focus that addresses community needs and state goals to prepare Queensland for emerging challenges and opportunities, and utilises innovative technology and methods.
2. Increase expenditure on public and private research and development in Queensland to at least 3% of Gross State Product (GSP).
3. Establish a Queensland Research Council, to be chaired by the Queensland Chief Scientist, whose work will support that of the Australian Research Council (ARC), with the ability to make decisions independent from political interference.
4. Adopt a precautionary approach for Government to the application of new technologies, including greater regulation of nanotechnology, occupational health and safety notifications and mandatory labelling of consumer and industrial products that contain free manufactured nanoparticles.
5. Involve the community in decisions about the safe application of new technologies.
6. Improve public funding to Queensland universities to expand their research capacity.
7. Facilitate more science teachers by financially assisting university education and ongoing development.
8. Provide scholarships to science students at all levels and establish science and maths competitions at all levels of education.
9. Prioritise funding for research into sustainable energy technologies with the aim of developing competitive energy technologies with zero carbon emissions.
10. Promote the use of science and technology, in particular information and communication technology, to support and grow rural and remote communities.
11. Foster greater commercialisation of Queensland innovations in Queensland by local companies.
12. Develop and use open source software in government and promote open source software in the broader community.
13. Develop annual innovation plans that outline the role government will play in fostering innovation, including incubating new technologies until they become commercially viable.
14. Ensure sustainability of our physical and digital infrastructure critical for research and leveraging programs to make use of ‘big data’ and share ‘open data’.
15. Build resilience and manage climate risk, through the development and deployment of construction technologies for extreme weather event resistance (floods, cyclones, droughts), particularly in tropical environments.
16. Invest in scientific research and innovation that leverage Queensland’s unique natural and resource conditions, such as tropical health and medicine, solar energy and reef health and water quality.
17. The economic and social benefits of discoveries stemming from First Nations knowledge and natural resources be distributed to First Nations peoples and the intellectual ownership of discoveries be owned by First Nations peoples.
18. Foster connections between research, industry and the community through establishing innovation networks and forums, and foster ‘crowd sourcing’ to develop new innovations.