SETAC AU was proud to support Phoebe Lewis from the EPA in Victoria and Lisa Golding from CSIRO to attend Science Meets Parliament 2026 in Canbera over the 25th and 26th of March.
See below for a summary of the event from both Phoebe and Lisa!
We were honoured to attend SMP 2026 held at the Australian Parliament, Canberra over 25th and 26th March. The two days included panel discussions on topics such as fronting an inquiry, science in the media and cultural truth telling.
We listened to Minister for Science Tim Ayres National Press Club address which outlined the ‘Ambitious Australia’ agenda, and elevated applied environmental research like chemicals, pollution, ecosystem health and emerging technologies, as part of Australia’s economic and national security system, requiring stronger integration between researchers, regulators and industry to deliver real‑world impact. The full address can be viewed here and the report is here.
We each had the opportunity to meet with a parliamentarian. Lisa was paired with National MP and Chief Whip Hon Michelle Landry and enjoyed talking about ecological effects of tyre chemical leachates and applications of new approach methodologies (NAMs) while Phoebe met with National MP and former deputy prime minister Hon Michael McCormack and enjoyed discussing effects-based monitoring approaches for chemical mixtures. The first day was capped off with the gala dinner where we connected with politicians and SMP attendees over dinner.
Lisa’s main takeaway was the message to have scientists on corporate boards and influencing policy to achieve more impact while Phoebe enjoyed learning how important STEM skills were in supporting parliamentarians in their day-to-day decisions.
