Geoscience Australia's value to the nation, outlined in our overarching Strategy 2028, is through our science. However, the way that we apply our science to support a strong economy, resilient society and sustainable environment cannot be taken for granted. Our new Science Strategy 2028, to be launched by Geoscience Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Steve Hill, during this event, will support Strategy 2028 in our mission to be the nation's trusted advisor on the geology and geography of Australia. It will provide strategic direction for developing and delivering the science that underpins our core business. Dr Hill will outline how our guiding Science Principles apply to our way of working -- not just the way in which we work as an organisation, but also in the way that we work with our partners in using science to create benefits for all Australians.

Many people fondly remember assembling their first rock collection or exploding a baking soda volcano as a child. These experiences can be a great gateway into the Earth sciences, but a more tailored and modern approach will ensure future generations are geoscience-literate and eventually able to contribute to the workforce. In this presentation, we 1. Use the Geoscience Australia Education Program as a case study of changing approaches to Earth science education and engagement, particularly after the global pandemic; 2. Discuss four key challenges facing geoscience education and engagement; and 3. Apply these challenges to efforts to promote Earth science to students in later high school, including summarising some of the broader data surrounding the attitudes and priorities of this demographic. We hope that this presentation will help guide the discussion on how we can most effectively ignite the interest of the next generation in pursuing Earth Science.

The Great Artesian Basin Research Priorities Workshop, organised by Geoscience Australia (GA), was held in Canberra on 27 and 28 April 2016. Workshop attendees represented a spectrum of stakeholders including government, policy, management, scientific and technical representatives interested in GAB-related water management. This workshop was aimed at identifying and documenting key science issues and strategies to fill hydrogeological knowledge gaps that will assist federal and state/territory governments in addressing groundwater management issues within the GAB, such as influencing the development of the next Strategic Management Plan for the GAB. This report summarises the findings out of the workshop.

Geoscience Australia’s Discovery & Engagement team are developing a comprehensive plan to make our public spaces and programs more inclusive for visitors and staff. This will involve a multi-year journey to find effective ways to showcase the varied work of our staff and the relevance of Earth science to all Australians. To inform this work, GA undertook a series of audience research studies across a range of audiences to unearth interest in, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Earth science as a topic. This work involved a literature review, public surveys and focus groups, and audience testing for a new exhibit called Rocks that Shape Australia. This research is presented combined with recent findings from outreach work by the Exploring for the Future Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project team. Join us for intriguing insights into what the public know, think and feel about Earth science.

The Science Strategy 2028 Implementation Plan outlines the activities and actions across Geoscience Australia, led by the Chief Scientist, to operationalise the 'key implementations' of Science Strategy 2028. The discrete activities articulated in this Implementation Plan stem from mapping the six Science Principles against Geoscience Australia's Strategy 2028 Core Commitments. The Implementation Plan outlines the context and strategic rationale for a range of Geoscience Australia's activities led through the Office of the Chief Scientist, including the Science Evaluations, scientific capability and capacity mapping, and geoscientific engagement with First Nations communities and perspectives.

Geoscience Australia's value to the nation, outlined in its Strategy 2028 decadal plan, is through its science. However, the way that the organisation applies its science and achieves impact cannot be taken for granted. Science Strategy 2028, launched in late-2021, presents a guiding strategic framework for delivering the science that underpins our core business. This Science Strategy outlines the organisation's longstanding Science Principles as a business imperative and as key tenets for maintaining Geoscience Australia's standing as the nation’s trusted advisor on Australia’s geoscience and geography. Through the Science Strategy, Geoscience Australia will continue to integrate and achieve the six Science Principles through its business: to deliver relevant, collaborative, quality, transparent and communicated science, with a view to sustain our scientific capability.