AUSTRALIANS are keen to see the past emphasis on sport balanced by improved
scientific achievement, according to a recent opinion poll commissioned by
The Australian newspaper.
The survey found that about 60 per cent of people view sport as the field in
which Australia has been most successful in the past. Scientific achievement
ranked second, with 16 per cent. But academic achievement outside of science
attracted fewer responses than any other option, a miserable one per
cent—below military, cultural and business success.
The view of the future, however, is radically different. A total of 40 per
cent want scientific…
