After all, they have cut a number of other programmes concerning rural assistance or development: an example of the latter is the FARMBIS programme.

Could the fund cutting and perhaps the beginning of the dismantling of CSIRO have anything to do with being told by CSIRO scientists that they would not accept censorship of their research findings in any form whatsoever?

I wondered at the time what the repecussions would be. It looks as if they have started already.

As for the bush we aren't really all that important to the Labor government as the main Labor voting base is in the cities.

I am a farmer and reseacher and am quite dismayed at the trend I see developing towards disenfranchising both CSIRO and the bush.

'annoyed farmer'.

But, how can AWI justify 160 staff in Sydney when the money would be better spent going to research - too many bureaucrats, not enough actoin.

Nothing will change 'til people everywhere outback unite with a single voice and come up with some realistic action to hit home with the rest of Australia and in particular the media.

Politicians may not listen to votes or continued logical complaints, but they are frightened of image related ramifications repeatedly published by the media.

Try driving or trucking a large herd of sheep followed by some cattle down the main streets of Canberra and then find some taxpayer watered green feed for them to graze on in the vicinity.

Maybe organise several shifts of a mass vehicle plus motorbike ride including barking dogs to travel symbolically in circles for a week or so around the roundabout at Capitol Hill/Parliament House until we all get some realistic answers.

Surely the time for circular unproductive 'talking' is coming to an end, if they don't understand the problems faced by outback people by now, with all the representations made, especially during these harder times over the last few years, they never will, without a strong push from the bush.

Even the Aboriginal Community had to camp out on the polies' lawns 'til they got some action; it's probably the only language that they can understand.

Too many economists, too many managers, too many naive policy deadheads.

The focus on doing only patenting research has failed.

The focus on managers that add no value has failed.

Do something of value for Australia, anyone can cut programs; that is not creative.

It is no wonder that few young Australians want to work in science and technology.

All the facilities are being closed down for housing. What for?

Science research careers are based on the whim of managers and policy goons that do not speak to real people and hide in offices with security systems.

Just who is running this country? The Institute for Public Affairs, the right wing 'think' tank of economists who want to import everything including terrorism?

I personally think someone should approach the government to fund the csiro scour into a private owner so it can be run as a commercial business, that could still service emerging new industry.

I personally have worked in a 2 topmaking mills for ten years in australia and have been buying wool for the next 10 and would jump at such an opportunity to own / operate a small commercial scour.

Other writers, the government would still match AWI funding if AWI funded research - they have stopped doing this, preferring to employ 160 bureaucrats in Sydney and to engage in costly court cases instead.