About us

The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) is a vital lifeline for evidence in a world overwhelmed by misinformation and has been on the front-line in this critical space since 2005.

As an independent, trusted source of science, the AusSMC links journalists with expert insights, helping Australians access the facts they need to make decisions. We also run Scimex - the breaking science news portal for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Our work shapes a better-informed, more resilient nation, where knowledge guides action on issues like health and climate.

Supporters enable a future where science combats falsehoods, providing clarity in times of confusion and empowering every Australian with accurate information.

Board

The Board is chaired by Peter Yates AM and meets four times a year. Deputy chairs are Robyn Williams AO from the ABC and Professor Merlin Crossley AM from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Board members include:

  • Peter Yates AM (Chair) Chairman, Business and Economics Board, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne
  • Jim Carroll Private media consultant and former director of News and Current Affairs at SBS
  • Anna-Maria Arabia Chief Executive, Australian Academy of Science
  • Professor Merlin Crossley AM Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, The University of New South Wales
  • Professor Moira O'Bryan Dean of the Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne
  • Dr Michael Ellies Non-Executive Director
  • Julia Naughton Head of Life - Culture, Lifestyle & Travel at the Sydney Morning Herald, Nine Entertainment Co.
  • Melvin Mansell Chairman, The Advertiser Foundation, News Corp Australia
  • Professor Melissa Brown Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland
  • Professor Raymond Chan Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Flinders University
  • Robyn Williams AO Presenter, Science Show, ABC
  • The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP Premier of South Australia
  • Professor Melinda Fitzgerald Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Curtin University
  • Nick Campbell Vice President, Academic Affairs, Nature Portfolio & Springer Nature
  • Crystal Ladiges Chief of Staff, CSIRO
  • Professor James Wallman Dean of Science, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
  • Professor Andrew Lowe Director, Environment Institute, Adelaide University
  • Dr Darren Saunders Deputy Chief Scientist and Engineer, Executive Director, Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer, NSW Government
  • TBA Squiz Australia
  • Alison Murray GM Investment Management, AIA Australia

The Board is governed by the AusSMC’s constitution and acknowledges the Centre’s Statement of Independence.

Science and Media Advisory Panel (SMAP)

The role of the SMAP  is to provide scientific and media advice to the Centre.

The following are current members of the SMAP.

  • Professor Peter Fray, Assistant Director at Australian National Maritime Museum
  • Tory Shepherd, Freelance journalist
  • Jonathan Webb, Science Editor, ABC
  • Liam Mannix, National Science Reporter, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
  • Jason Gale, Senior Editor and Biosecurity Correspondent, Bloomberg News, Melbourne
  • Jackson Ryan, President, Science Journalis

SMC global network

There are now science media centres in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, South Korea and Taiwan with others being actively considered in a host of countries including Japan, Ireland, China, Italy, the US and Pakistan. They are independent of each other but collaborate extensively on issues of global importance.

More info on the international group of SMCs can be found at the SMC Global website which includes a global charter of independence.

Other Science Media Centres

Our patrons

Our Australian patron

Dr Alan Finkel AC

In March 2013, Dr Alan Finkel AC agreed to become Australian patron of the Australian Science Media Centre. Since then, he was appointed Australia’s Chief Scientist from January 2016 through to the end of 2020. He has a long history with science and the media through his own work in neuroscience and engineering and as co-founder of the multi award winning science magazine, COSMOS.

Prior to becoming Chief Scientist, Dr Finkel was the eighth Chancellor at Monash University, President of the Academy of Technology and Engineering, CEO of Stile Education Pty Ltd and Chairman of the Australian Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics.

Our International patron

Baroness Susan Greenfield, CBE

Baroness Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur and communicator of science. She is founder and CEO of Neuro-Bio Ltd and has published over 220 papers in peer-reviewed journals over the course of her 40-year career, based mainly at Oxford University. She holds 32 honorary degrees from UK and foreign universities. From 1998 to 2010, she was Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the first woman to hold the position

In 2004, Baroness Greenfield was invited by the South Australian Government to be a “Thinker in Residence”, a program that brought world-class thinkers to Adelaide. During her residency, she initiated several new projects including the Australian Science Media Centre which is based on a similar initiative she started in London in 2002.

Our policy on independence

The AusSMC believes scientists can make a big impact on the way issues are covered in the media.

By building bridges that help the scientific community to engage with journalists, the AusSMC supports scientists to take more initiative and play a leading role in informing public debate.

The AusSMC is a not-for-profit organisation that represents no particular faction in science. Its agenda is simply to utilise evidence-based science to shed light on issues and present a broad spectrum of scientific opinion.

The AusSMC is:

  • Independent – With a broad range of sponsors and by capping individual contributions to 10% of total operating costs, the Australian Science Media Centre is able to provide an independent service and a spectrum of opinion from the scientific community without fear or favour. See full statement of independence below.
  • Media driven – While most issues we cover are driven by the level of media interest, the AusSMC also plays a role in providing journalists with heads-up on emerging issues.
  • Proactive – The AusSMC is constantly 'horizon scanning' looking for situations where science can help clarify an issue.
  • Collaborative – When scientists from different institutions are involved with the same media story, the AusSMC can provide an independent platform, enabling coordinated distribution of the message to the media.

The AusSMC is not:

  • Responsible for increasing the profile of specific concepts or areas of science (eg: physics etc) in the media;
  • Set up to take general enquiries directly from the public or non-media institutions.

Statement of independence

The AusSMC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation actively disseminating evidence-based science to the public through the media on a broad range of topics (read our policy on selection of experts below). The AusSMC is governed by a Board of Management. All board members acknowledge that Centre staff are free to disseminate the best available scientific information, regardless of any commercial, political or personal interests, including those of any sponsors or board members. Full editorial control of all material disseminated by the SMC rests with the staff of the SMC, with guidance sought from the Centre’s Science and Media Advisory Panel (SMAP) when required.

Our policy on experts

The AusSMC’s activities inform and sometimes trigger debate, but are not intended to endorse particular policies or boost the profile of specific individuals or organisations.

The AusSMC has a clear policy on who it approaches for scientific and related expertise and who is eligible to be added to our database of scientific and research-based experts.

Scientific Expertise

Peer Review

The AusSMC will use peer-reviewed publications in the relevant area of science and health as the basis for defining the expertise of scientists.

The peer-review process used by leading scientific and health journals provides a standard accepted by the scientific community by which the reliability of both investigations and researchers are judged.

Expertise outside of peer-review

Some scientific research may be newsworthy while it is being performed (for example, a longitudinal study over several years, research into a topical issue, the discovery of a rare species etc) and before it has been reported in scientific journals, making the application of peer-review impossible at that stage of the research.

Similarly, in some disciplines, particularly those within the social sciences, arts and humanities (eg science communication), publication in peer-reviewed journals is less applicable.

In such cases, the AusSMC will consider:

  • the reputation of the expert’s institute or academic department;
  • the professional qualifications and previous track record of the expert;
  • the expert’s current role as an active practitioner in his or her field; and
  • the expert’s professional reputation within his or her field (judged by, for example,  the number of significant awards and grants won).

The credentials of experts may be further assessed by consultation with other experts in the relevant field or, where appropriate, with the AusSMC’s Science and Media Advisory Panel.

Suitability

When the expertise of an individual is questioned, the AusSMC will refer final decisions on the credibility and suitability of that expert to the appropriate member of the Science and Media Advisory Panel.

Declaring interests

In general, the AusSMC does not utilise experts working for specific lobby groups (such groups normally have strong mechanisms to promote their message to the media). Known affiliations or interests of scientists is clearly stated.

Availability

The availability of experts within the media's time frame may be a major determinant of which experts are put forward by the AusSMC.

Review

This policy will be reviewed and updated from time to time.

If you have questions or feedback on our choice of experts please feel free to contact us.

Our policy on  diversity

The AusSMC celebrates and encourages diversity and inclusion in all its forms. Australian science is diverse, and we want the media to hear from experts that reflect this diversity. To support and improve the diversity of expert voices in the media we have developed several programs to encourage a wide range of experts to engage with the media.

When a story breaks, reacting quickly is the key to ensuring accurate news coverage that is reflective of the science. Therefore, our focus is on increasing the diversity of experts on our database who can respond to breaking news. That way when a story breaks, we are more likely to have a more diverse group of experts responding.

Working towards gender balance and gender inclusivity

Women are less likely than men to be quoted as experts in the media, and the AusSMC is actively working to address this imbalance. Our Scimex ‘Find an Expert’ database is currently just over 40 per cent female, and we have a number of active programs in place to help us reach gender equity.

We are pleased to be part of the Superstars of STEM program which increases the public visibility of women in STEM. The AusSMC is also a proud project partner of the STEM Women database developed by the Australian Academy of Science. The AusSMC celebrates gender diversity and offers experts registering with our ‘Find an Expert’ database the opportunity to list diverse gender options and to select pronouns.

First Nations scientists

The AusSMC runs the Indigenous Media Mentoring Program (IMMP) which provides intensive media training to competitively selected Indigenous scientists and researchers. The IMMP is unique in Australia. It provides practical hands-on media experience with media partner NITV-SBS, mentoring from Indigenous researchers, media trainers and Indigenous journalists, and an expert profile on AusSMC’s science news portal, Scimex. It incorporates frank discussion of the issues Indigenous experts can experience when working with media and strategies to manage these.

Culturally and linguistically diverse experts

With the support of the Victorian Government, the AusSMC has developed specific media training for women from CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds.

We also offer experts the opportunity to list Languages spoken (other than English) when they register on Scimex.  There are currently close to 400 experts on the Scimex database who speak languages other than English.

History of the AusSMC

The mainstream media is the most important source of information on science and technology for the Australian public, and yet the relationship between scientists and the media is often fraught and difficult. The AusSMC exists to support both scientists and journalists to ensure that the public has access to the best scientific evidence and expertise.

The idea to set up an Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) came from the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence program. Though independent from it, the AusSMC is based on the successful UK Science Media Centre that was established in London in 2002.

The AusSMC was established as an independent, not-for-profit organisation in late 2005. For 15 years, the Centre was housed in the old Adelaide Stock Exchange building until its move to Lot Fourteen in early 2025. The AusSMC is now one of seven international independent SMCs (UK, Australia, NZ, Canada, Germany, Taiwan and Spain).

In response to a demand from journalists, the AusSMC launched a breaking science news portal, Scimex.org (Science Media Exchange) in 2015 to provide the media with access to scientific expertise, independent expert reaction, multimedia and research stories from Australia, NZ and the Pacific. Scimex is now used by around 2,500 journalists and distributes more than 3,000 stories each year.

In December 2024, the AusSMC was endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (DGR) meaning donations of $2 and more are now tax-deductible in Australia. The Centre moved to TechCentral at Lot Fourteen on Frome Road in Adelaide in March 2025.

Annual Report

Our latest Annual Report

Previous annual reports