The Omnibus Bill passed both houses of parliament last week and included $6.5 billion of savings measures. Included within these measures was a uniform 1.5% reduction in the R&D Tax Offset rates applying for income years starting on or after 1 July 2016. Whilst returning the budget to surplus is an important task for the government, this reduction is disappointing as the R&D Tax Incentive is the primary mechanism for inducing corporate investment in R&D Activity. The stability of the […]
The Omnibus Bill As Australia’s government prepares to cut spending in order to repair the budget the Omnibus bill has been proposed, including in it a $1 billion cut to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) which will effectively eliminate the agency. Without ARENA funding R&D, renewable energy research will grind to a halt as the policies and cuts being proposed have the potential to set the country back roughly 30 years. The World is Taking Notes For many […]
During the 2016 Australian Financial Review innovation summit this past week, Dr. Alan Finkel Australia’s chief scientist, spoke to the imbalance of government spending on innovation. Business Insider quoted Dr. Finkel saying, “If science turns money into knowledge – then innovation turns knowledge back into money, and generally a lot more money than the taxpayers put in.” While referring to the potential gains of innovation investment from the government, the Doctor proceeded to share a shocking statistic that industry leaders […]
With the release of the Australian Innovation Agenda in December 2015, Australia is experiencing significant economic and social change. Indeed, we are now entering a new era in which technology, research and ideas will become our most valuable cargo. Successfully leveraging these changes will ultimately require a social focus on innovation, collaboration and digital disruption. In regards to this, the Australian Parliament’s Trade and Investment Growth Committee have recently published its report entitled Inquiry into Australia’s Future in Research and Innovation. The report investigates […]