The Council of the ISAA affirms the fundamental importance of research for the Australian society, and globally. The Australian Government needs to support and fund basic and applied research in all disciplines.

• Council advocates the appointment of high-profile Science and Arts Ministers in any Federal government.
• Council advocates expanding resources for CSIRO and other research organisations.
• Council considers that tertiary education provides a private and a public good and that in the interests of equitable participation in tertiary education the level of fees should not be deterrent to those from lower socio-economic background.
• Council advocates affordable fees for PhD students, the potential future researchers.
• Council is concerned that administrative requirements for research applications not impact on the quality, quantity and efficiency of research, including for ISAA members.
• Council considers that priorities for increasingly scarce funding should not favour short-term research at the expense of long-term basic research, the outcomes of which often cannot be speedily determined.