You don't have to be too alert to the media maelstrom around at the moment to know that science is the favourite blood sport of some people and in some parts of our community. 

And in part that's because of the historical unwillingness that scientists go out and speak publicly about why they do what they do and why it's important to do it.

It has been something that has left the community less well-informed than it would otherwise be.

The Federal Government will spend about $9.5b spent on science and technology, on R&D - people have a right to know how this money is spent.

I urge scientists amongst you to make sure that they do stand up and talk and tell people why they do what they do and why it's important.

National Science Week will touch something like 1.6m people in Australia. It will touch people in all corners of Australia.

And I hope that at the end of all that we will have taken another step forward in advising the community why we are scientists and why they should be proud of what we do and hopefully support what we do. 

Why things are what they are. How they got to be what they are.

How we can make better what they are.

And collectively try to make the world a better place.

Do this by knowing better how to provide food the world...

How to use our resources sustainably...

And how to grow and prosper and become increasingly secure whilst at the same time both diminishing the human footprint

and the marks that it is leaving on this planet that we share with 7 and a half billion other people.

Most of whom, a lot of them, are not as fortunate as we are.

And I think we in Australia have an obligation to ensure that Australia through an investment and development of its intelligence and wit will actually be a serious global citizen and contribute to the well-being of the world and not just the part of the world we live in.