Science Meets Parliament 2026

Last week, Dr Aaron Phillips attended the Science Meets Parliament 2026  event held at Parilament House in Canberra, through the support of the Waite Research Institute. Science Meets Parliament is Australia’s premier initiative for fostering meaningful connections between the STEM sector and policymakers.

This year’s event highlighted the increasing importance of translating research into policy-, industry- and community-relevant outcomes. Across sessions on commercialisation, parliamentary processes, media engagement and First Nations collaboration, several key themes emerged: the need to clearly define research use-cases, benefits, costs and implementation pathways; the value of communicating research through concise, story-driven messages grounded in lived experience; and the importance of building long-term, trust-based relationships beyond short funding cycles.

The event also underscored expectations that research aligns with local and national priorities, including climate resilience, sovereign capability, regional development and supply-chain security, as outlined in the recent Ambitious Australia (SERD) Report. Encouragingly, many of these principles are already reflected in activities at Waite, including initiatives that strengthen industry engagement and support researchers to communicate their work effectively.

Speakers emphasised the need to reduce administrative burden on academics, enhance community engagement, and foster greater collaboration across universities through complementary specialisation. Looking ahead, there are opportunities to further support staff involvement in parliamentary and media engagement, and to strengthen long-term community partnerships. Waite’s strengths in agriculture, sustainability and regional development position it well to contribute to national conversations and deliver meaningful research impact.