[LINK] Australian government open access policy for research publishing?

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Evan.ARTHUR at Dest.gov.au wrote:
> Tom wrote: <<Larger universities are building their own digital
> repositories, but the smaller ones may not have a suitable system>>
> 
> The Minister for Education, Science and Training today announced funding
> for the introduction of the Research Quality Framework (RQF).  Part of
> the announcement was:  "$25.5 million - Australian Scheme for Higher
> Education Repositories programme - to assist with the establishment of
> university digital data storage systems that will allow research outputs
> to be submitted for RQF assessment."  
> 
> See http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Bishop/2006/12/B001181206.asp
> 
> 
> So we have incentives for academics to publish research in open access
> archives flowing from the ARC and NHMRC rules, which will be
> supplemented by the rules for the RQF, and funding to establish digital
> repositories, building on the development work already undertaken.
> Details of that work at:
> http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/research_sector/policies_issues_reviews/k
> ey_issues/australian_research_information_infrastructure_committee/ariic
> _projects.htm
<snip>
As, I have mentioned before my most obvious interest in research being
undertaken in Australia is in that relevant to improving the governance
of ICT and of use in drafting standards/guidelines to do this. From what
I have been told, academics do not have any incentives to contribute to
this effort....even when they are funded to undertake research in the area.

These issues seem not to have been covered in the Productivity
commission report whose key findings on standards development are:

> Standard setting
> 
> Standards Australia should make the following improvements:
> 
>     * systematically consider costs and benefits before developing or revising a standard, and publish reasons for such decisions
>     * ensure more balanced stakeholder representation
>     * reduce barriers to volunteer and public participation
>     * improve accessibility, transparency and timeliness, including an improved appeals and complaints mechanism.
> 
> All government bodies should rigorously analyse impacts before making a standard mandatory by way of regulation and ensure it is the minimum necessary to achieve the policy objective. Each Australian Government agency should also provide the funding necessary to ensure free or low cost access to such standards, including Australian Standards.
> 
> The Australian Government should continue to support Standards Australia's role in facilitating international standardisation activities.
> 
> The Standards Accreditation Board should be renamed the Accreditation Board for Australian Standards to better reflect its role and should be recognised by the Australian Government.
<http://www.pc.gov.au/study/standards/finalreport/keypoints.html>



-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
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