The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is putting the commercialisation of science and research at the centre of the political party’s future job-making policy, which it intends to take to the next election. Announcing the policy platform in an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said Australia’s manufacturing sector’s viability relies on an Australian government creating a supportive environment for skill creation, research and innovation. “Australia needs public policy to support the skills, research and innovation that will build manufacturing capability,” Marles said in his speech. “We need to reinvigorate research and the commercialisation of public research.” Comparing Australia to other OECD nations like South Korea and Israel, Marles reportedly noted that Australian research and development (R&D) funding has continued to trend downwards to its current level of 1.8 percent of GDP. In comparison, R&D funding in both South Korea and Israel are nearly at 5 percent …