As we move progressively to set procedures to achieve ecologically sustainable development, the role that local Government is expected to play in fulfilling the objectives of Agenda 21 of the 1992 Rio Convention becomes clear. We can expect that Australia's local Governments will need to have access to the best possible scientific and technological advice. With respect to Industry and Commerce, we again have much to do to improve our interactions. We should not forget that a survey earlier this year of 1060 people from across the nation shows that Australians would rather follow media stories about science, medicine and technology than sport, crime or politics. The survey showed that twice as many Australians want to read about science as sport or politics.
Science beats crime and employment as a popular media topic.
Science and technology are vital to the lives of ordinary Australians. On receipt of that survey result we contacted editors of major Australian media outlets. Jan Thomas has drafted a response to the last named. A letter of invitation sent to a large number of potential members attracted a good response, and we are confident of gaining further support from this initiative. Acknowledgements I must first acknowledge significant input from several members of the Executive, notably Chris Easton as Secretary and Peter Cullen as President-elect.