<div dir="ltr">Dear ASA Members<div> the following email (and attached open letter) have been sent to the Acting Minister for Education and Youth, The Honourable Stuart Robert, MP, concerning his recent veto of Discovery Projects. It has also been cc'd to the ARC CEO Professor Sue Thomas.</div><div><br></div><div> John Lattanzio<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2022 at 15:52<br>Subject: Open Letter to the Minister<br>To: Minister Stuart Robert <<a href="mailto:stuart.robert.mp@aph.gov.au" target="_blank">stuart.robert.mp@aph.gov.au</a>><br>Cc: Professor Sue Thomas <<a href="mailto:ceo@arc.gov.au" target="_blank">ceo@arc.gov.au</a>></div><br>
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Dear Minister Robert,</div>
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Please find attached a joint open letter from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the Statistical Society of Australia, the Astronomical Society of Australia, the Australian Institute of Physics and the Australian Mathematical Society, calling for an end
of the use of the National Interest Test to block the funding of research proposals that have been recommended for funding by the Australian Research Council.</div>
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Yours sincerely,</div>
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Professor Steven Bottle, President, RACI
<div>Associate Professor Jessica Kasza, President, SSA</div>
<div>Professor John Lattanzio, President, ASA</div>
<div>Professor Sven Rogge, President, AIP</div>
Professor Ole Warnaar, President, AustMS<br>
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</div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><b><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">I'</span><span style="color:rgb(11,83,148)">m</span><font color="#000000"> </font><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)">a</span><span style="color:rgb(241,194,50)">n</span><span style="color:rgb(230,145,56)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(153,0,255)"><span style="color:rgb(230,145,56)">L</span><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">G</span></span><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)">B</span><span style="color:rgb(53,28,117)">T<span style="color:rgb(11,83,148)">I</span></span><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)">Q</span></span><span style="color:rgb(0,255,0)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(241,194,50)">A</span><span style="color:rgb(230,145,56)">l</span><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">l</span><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)">y</span></span></span></b><i><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><b> </b> - Find out more at </span></i><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/-VVPC4QOPEiBPO9LzSx9ccI?domain=monash.edu" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;white-space:pre-wrap" target="_blank"><i>monash.edu/lgbtiqa</i></a><i><br></i></div><div><i style="font-size:12.8px"><br></i></div><div>Professor John Lattanzio</div><div>President, Astronomical Society of Australia</div><div><br>School of Physics and Astronomy<br></div><div>Monash University Victoria 3800 AUSTRALIA<br><br></div><div>Ph: +61 (0)3 9905-4428<br>WWW: <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/rsmMC6XQ4Lfrkv0QPS5w_D4?domain=maths.monash.edu.au/" target="_blank">users.monash.edu.au/~johnl/</a><br><div>
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<span><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/maWUC81V0PT630PnXSwBqCy?domain=orcid.org" target="_blank">orcid.org/0000-0003-2952-859X</a></span></div></div></div><div><font size="1"><br></font></div><div><div><font size="1">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>"...<span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light"">it’s a human story that builds to a climax and it’s personal from end to end. </span></font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1">You start out wondering why you bought those blue pajamas and later you’re </font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1">wondering why you were born. You go from the foolishly absurd to the deadly </font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1">serious and you’ve passed through the gaudy and the nasty along the way. </font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1">You get to the edge and you’re played out and you wonder where’s the good </font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1">news? Isn’t there supposed to be good news?"</font></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(29,29,29);font-family:"Clarendon FS Light""><font size="1"> - Bob Dylan</font></span></div><div><font size="1">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>