Taking gene technology facts around Australia

CSIRO's Gene Technology Course has been delivering objective gene technology information around the country for the past fifteen years.

The course has been completed by government officials, rural industry leaders, farmers, journalists and the general public.

Run mainly as a two day workshop, the course is presented by a team of scientists and communicators led by Dr TJ Higgins, Deputy Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry. Dr Higgins is a passionate communicator and a prominent gene technology scientist.

During the course, participants attend a series of lectures covering the tight regulation and monitoring that the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator and Food Standards Australia New Zealand apply to genetically modified food crops in Australia.

The lectures address the controversy surrounding GM, referring to research findings that have been carefully reviewed by independent scientists and published in scientific journals. GM techniques are put into context as an additional tool available to Australian agriculture, alongside conventional crop breeding and new management techniques.

The course also includes a hands-on laboratory component to give participants a better understanding of the technical steps involved in producing a genetically modified crop.

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