Opinion: If we want to value science, we need to celebrate its wins

I think it’s time we talked about science. Last week, I attended the Premier’s Science Awards, the night of nights for scientists and researchers in Western Australia. Less than 24 hours after celebrating the outstanding achievements of our researchers and innovators, news broke that Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, would cut up to 350 research jobs due to continued funding challenges.

During the awards ceremony, Western Australia’s newly appointed Chief Scientist, Professor Sharath Sriram, opened with a simple but striking statement: “Science makes everything tick, whether people realise it or not, it makes everything tick.” It’s a truth we often overlook. The technology we use every day, our knowledge of how to live healthily, medical innovations, how we communicate, and our ability to mitigate climate change. Science sits quietly at the centre of it all.

For the last 100 years, the CSIRO has batted well above its weight in contributing to this scientific tick. Fast Wi-Fi, polymer banknotes and Aerogard, just to name a few.

In his speech, former Chief Scientist and this year’s Western Australian Science Hall of Fame inductee, Professor Peter Klinken AC, urged scientists to be better at communicating what they do, why they do it, and how it contributes to a better society. In a post-truth world of competing narratives, alternative facts, and growing distrust in institutions, he argued that the community needs scientists more than ever. Not only to present data and evidence, but to do so constructively, clearly, and with a sense of responsibility to the public.

His point lingered with me when I saw a different kind of statistic this week. A Google News search for the 2025 ARIAs brought up 75,400 results for the award ceremony, held last week. Three weeks on from the Prime Minister’s Science Awards, one of the most significant science recognitions in the country, there were just 14,600. For a nation that depends so heavily on scientific literacy, innovation and discovery, science struggles to hold the same space in our public conversation.

So, I find myself wondering, does science have a PR problem?

If we’re not talking about science, if we’re not celebrating its wins or having nuanced conversations about what’s happening across research and innovation, how do we expect people to value it? And if it’s not valued, how can we hope to attract the investment that leads to breakthroughs, new industries and improved quality of life for all Australians?

The data on Australia’s economic complexity paints a similar picture. Harvard’s Atlas of Economic Complexity ranks Australia as the ninth richest economy per capita. Yet our position on the Economic Complexity Index sits at 105 – behind Botswana. Over the past decade, our economy has become less complex, dropping six places. A lack of diverse exports means our future economic growth is projected to slow.

Professor Klinken noted that Australia has become increasingly risk-averse over the past five decades, often supporting comfortable incrementalism rather than tackling big, hard questions. We generate 3% of the world’s new knowledge each year, yet we struggle to translate that knowledge into practical and commercial outcomes. To change this, we need a cohesive science narrative and we need the public to understand the return on investment that science brings.

Science is more than research and academia. Its core skills of critical thinking, decision-making and curiosity shape the world around us. If last week showed us anything, it’s that we must do a better job of communicating that truth.

This article was originally published in The West Australian.