The executive vote thwarted a plan by Ian Macfarlane and the Nationals to get an extra cabinet spot by boosting the minor party’s numbers within the Coalition.
As chance would have it Malcolm Turnbull was to have been at a sod turning for a big Toowoomba bypass project on Monday, in Ian Macfarlane’s Groom electorate.
Former industry ministry Ian Macfarlane is set to defect to the Nationals, in a move that party sources say would entitle the junior Coalition partner to an extra frontbench spot.
As the Abbott government prepares Australia’s post-2020 emissions targets for this year’s Paris conference, the chairman of the Prime Minister’s business advisory council has make an extraordinary intervention in the climate debate.
The government’s announcement of a national science strategy is good for Australia, particularly for promoting engagement between science and industry.
“What’s in a name?” was essentially the Australian government’s response when concerns were first expressed about dropping “Science” from the ministerial portfolio titles back in 2013. That same response…
Labor has walked away from negotiations with the government over changes to the Renewable Energy Target, saying the proposed cuts of almost 40% are too deep. Industry minister Ian Macfarlane says he is…
Federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane has finally revealed his opening gambit on negotiations on the future of the Renewable Energy Target (RET). He and environment minister Greg Hunt have pledged to…
The opposition has rejected the government’s opening negotiating position for changing the renewable energy target – but said it wants to keep talking. The government proposed the target be changed to…
The federal government will fund industry growth centres in five sectors that will encourage better use by business of Australian research, as part of a $400 million innovation and competitiveness policy…
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb today called on the federal government to “bring coherence” to research and innovation, otherwise the nation risks being left behind in the fields of science, technology, engineering…
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane has floated the idea that government grants be linked to the number of patents a university registers, rather than the papers it gets published. The suggestion comes at…
Announcing the decision to refuse assistance to SPC Ardmona, Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said: “I think it is a clear delineation of where this government believes we need to go with industry policy…
From flicking on a light to travelling around town, our lives are utterly dependent on energy. That’s why it’s so surprising that Australia has been so bad at thinking about our country’s future energy…