Science at a Glance

It was a scientific expedition that brought the English navigator James Cook to Australia’s shores in 1770, an event that led directly to the settlement of the continent in 1788 by Europeans. Australian scientists and scientists from many other countries continue to collaborate to extend the frontiers of human knowledge in ways that echo the scientific purposes of Cook’s first voyage. The Tidbinbilla Deep Space Station near Canberra, for example, tracks the automated spacecraft that explore other planets in our solar system. The Anglo–Australian Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales measures the motion of neighbouring galaxies using quasars as reference points.

Distance and discovery

The story behind the first scientific Nobel Prize associated with Australia suggests that distance and isolation can at times help scientists look at problems with a fresh eye and learn useful things about their own abilities.

British-born William Henry Bragg came to the University of Adelaide as Professor of Mathematics and Physics in 1886. He had trained as a mathematician at Cambridge and had to teach himself physics as well as the skills to make equipment for his Australian physics students’ practical classes. Because scientific apparatus was difficult to obtain in the colony of South Australia, Bragg discovered his gift for designing instruments. This underpinned his later research.

Bragg’s son, William Lawrence, was born in Adelaide in 1890. The father and son had a constructive argument about the nature of X-rays, and the younger Bragg used an instrument his father invented to win an important theoretical point. They jointly received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 for their work, which resulted in the development of techniques used to map the atomic structure of crystals. Both Braggs were knighted and had long and distinguished careers.

Life sciences

Australians have a particularly strong record of achievement in the life sciences. Since the Braggs, all the scientific Nobel laureates associated with Australia have worked in biological sciences. The Australian Nobel laureates in science are:

Sir William Lawrence Bragg: won the1915 Nobel Prize in Physics (with his father, Sir William Henry Bragg) for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays
Sir Howard Florey: shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases
Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet: shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or medicine for the discovery of acquired immunological tolerance
Sir John Eccles: shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane
Sir John Cornforth: shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions
Professor Peter Doherty: shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence
Professors Barry Marshall and Robin Warren: won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in identifying the role played by a bacterium in gastritis and peptic ulcers.

Australians have made many other notable contributions to improve the quality of life of people around the globe. Australian scientists were responsible for the development of Aspro in 1915; the original heart pacemaker in 1926; the first ultrasound scanner in 1961; the bionic ear in 1979; the SolarScan in 1998, which can quickly detect cancerous sunspots; and the cervical cancer vaccine in 2006.

Some of the most life-changing Australian innovations rely on relatively simple technology. The late Dr Fred Hollows developed cheap corneal replacements to cure certain types of blindness that are common in developing countries. His work is being carried on through a foundation led by his widow, Gabi Hollows.

Other significant Australian inventions

Techniques and processes as commonplace as industrial refrigeration, the ready-mix system of transporting concrete, and the balloon-in-a-box cask for wine were devised in Australia.

Australia prints its money on polymer, not paper, and other countries have adopted this technology. When people around the world use the telephone or the Internet, they rely on early research associated with Australian scientists.

Some Australian inventions are not for everyday use, such as gene shears for genetic engineering, the Synroc system for storing radioactive waste, the Interscan microwave aircraft landing system, smart proton probes for research into materials and living cells, and nano-machines for bio-sensing.

The following is a selection of important Australian inventions.

1860: Refrigeration: James Harrison invented the sulphuric ether refrigerating system for a brewery.
1913: Automatic totalisator: Invented by George Julius, the machine automated the counting of tickets and calculation of odds and dividends in betting at horse races.
1928: Speedo swimwear: This swimwear originated in Sydney when the MacRae Knitting Mills manufactured the company’s first swimsuit—the razorback—made from silk and joined in the middle of the back. Speedo introduced the world’s first nylon swimsuit in 1957.
1930: Letter sorting machine: The Sydney General Post Office was the site of the first mechanised letter sorter, which was developed by an engineer with the Postmaster-General’s Department.
1947: Cloud seeding: Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) conducted the first successful cloud seeding experiments, making rain fall near Bathurst, New South Wales.
1952: Victa lawnmower: The Victa version of the petrol lawnmower with rotary blades was developed by Mervyn Victor Richardson and became an Australian icon.
1957: Black box flight recorder: Dr David Warren in Melbourne invented the first ‘black box’ flight recorder. The device records the pilot’s voice and several instrument readings.
1960s: Microsurgery: Dr Earl Owen pioneered microsurgery and, in 1970, became the first surgeon to rejoin an amputated index finger.
1972: Orbital engine: Ralph Sarich, a Perth-based engineer, invented the orbital engine, a type of internal combustion engine.
1973: Pop-top can: Sir Ian McLennan of BHP came up with the idea of press buttons, where the button is hinged to the can and does not cause a litter problem.
1993: Underwater computer: Bruce Macdonald at the Australian Institute of Marine Science developed the world’s first underwater computer with a multibutton hand-held keypad that works like a conventional keyboard.
1994: Sportswool: CSIRO developed a new two-layer fabric consisting of wool and polyester. The fabric is ideal for sportswear because it allows rapid dissipation of moisture.
1995: Calicivirus: CSIRO developed this rabbit-specific virus to help control problematic rabbit populations.
1996: Relenza: The world’s first anti-influenza drug was developed by the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University and Biota Holdings. In 2000, the drug was approved for release in Australia, Europe and the United States.
1998: Skin polarprobe: Polartechnics Ltd, the Sydney Melanoma Unit and CSIRO developed the Solarscan, a device to scan the skin and quickly assess sunspots to determine whether they are melanomas.
1999: Night and day contact lenses: The Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology developed a contact lens made of a revolutionary material capable of transmitting six times more oxygen to the eye, allowing extended wear for up to 30 days and nights.
2000: Biodegradable packaging: The Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science developed new biodegradable packaging materials based on starch.
2003: Compliance Explorer: The Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre developed the anti-fraud product, Compliance Explorer, which detects insider trading and market manipulation and alerts the user over a secure Internet connection.
2005: Dtechtive: The Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre developed a health fraud detection system known as Dtechtive. Dtechtive is the world’s first real-time health fraud detection technology, designed specifically for the health insurance industry.
2005: Resilin: CSIRO scientists developed resilin, a replacement for rubber, from proteins found in insects.
2006: Oral health science: In late 2006 the Oral Health Science Cooperative Research Centre launched its first commercial product, ‘Tooth Mousse Plus’, in the Australian dental industry market. Designed to prevent the progression of early dental caries, the product has already entered 36 overseas markets.
2007: Rapid timber preservation technology: The Cooperative Research Centre for Wood Innovations has developed a revolutionary microwave method to chemically preserve timber in less than a minute using technology based on the scientific study of the microstructure of timber.

Science policy

Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, founded in 1926, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse scientific research institutions. CSIRO’s total staff of approximately 6500 includes some 4000 research scientists and other research staff working in laboratories and field stations in Australia and around the globe. Their work covers a broad range of areas of economic or social importance, including agriculture, minerals and energy, manufacturing, communications, construction, health and the environment.

CSIRO brings together people from various scientific fields to find solutions to major national and international problems. Worldwide, CSIRO is involved in more than 750 current or recently completed research activities, working with leading scientific organisations and firms in the United States, Japan and Europe.

The Australian Government encourages Australian industry to become more research oriented through a program of generous tax concessions. These include a 125 per cent research and development tax concession and a 175 per cent tax concession for additional labour-related research and development expenditure, both introduced in 1985. Additional information is available from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

The Australian Government is building stronger links between researchers and the business community through the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program. Established in 1990, the program involves the collaboration of industry, universities and government agencies in long-term research projects.

After the 2006 selection round, there were 58 CRCs operating in six sectors: environment (12), agriculture and rural-based manufacturing (16), information and communication technology (5), mining and energy (7), medical science and technology (9) and manufacturing technology (9). Since the commencement of the CRC program, all parties have committed more than $11 billion to CRCs (in cash and in-kind support). This includes almost $3 billion from the Australian Government, $2.8 billion from universities, $2 billion from industry, $1.1 billion from CSIRO and more than $2.4 billion from state governments and other sources. CRCs have a strong focus on commercial applications and are an integral part of Australia’s research and development capability.

Many universities have business and commercialisation arms to handle contract research and to commercialise the intellectual property created through their research. Recent outcomes of the program have been the development of continuous-wear contact lenses, a new test for detecting avian influenza, an electronic train-braking system that will contribute significantly to the safety of the rail industry, and a greenhouse gas mitigation project involving the transport and deep geological storage of carbon dioxide.

Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science consist of five annual awards for outstanding achievements in science and science teaching. The Prime Minister’s Prizes for science replaced the Australia Prize as Australia’s pre-eminent science awards in 2000. The major prize, the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, comprising an embossed gold medallion and a grant of $300 000, is awarded to an Australian individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to science, with demonstrated advancement of human welfare or benefit to society. The 2007 prize was awarded jointly to Dr Peter Waterhouse and Dr Ming-Bo Wang for their work on plant genetics.

The Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year and the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year are awarded for outstanding achievements in science that advance, or have the potential to advance, human welfare or benefit society. Each of these prizes comprises an embossed silver medallion and a grant of $50 000, and is awarded only to an individual. The common objectives of these two prizes are to recognise and reward outstanding research by younger scientists and to demonstrate to the public and, in particular, science undergraduates that early-career achievement in science can be of world-class importance. The 2007 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year was awarded to Dr Elizabeth Fulton for her work on ecosystem modelling, and the 2007 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year was awarded to Professor Mark Cassidy for his leadership in offshore civil engineering.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools were established in 2002 to recognise two teachers annually who have made an outstanding contribution to science education in Australia. Each prize consists of an embossed silver medallion and a grant of $50 000.

Further information

This fact sheet is also available to download ( PDF)

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all dollar amounts are in Australian dollars.

last updated May 2008

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade