That the Victorian Government encourage as part of its funding agreements
with research agencies and higher education institutions that research results
be deposited in open access journals or repositories. The Government should
consider providing additional funds to these agencies to allow them to publish in
open access journals that charge a fee for publication.
From the report:
In its report Public sector support for science and innovation, the [Australian Government]
Productivity Commission argued that mandatory requirements would better
meet the aim of free and public access to publicly-funded research
results. This is despite claims that requiring publicly funded research to
be made available via open access could have a detrimental impact on the
journal publishing industry. According to the Australian Publishers
Association, the increasing availability of peer-reviewed manuscripts in
repositories “will lead to cancellations and the eventual demise of the
journal upon which their peer-reviewed process depends.” A possible
solution, as noted by the Productivity Commission, is the ”author pays”
approach whereby authors are responsible for paying publishers or
repositories a fee on the basis that the publication is publicly and freely
accessible. ...
While it would be difficult for the Victorian Government to require research
agencies and higher education institutions to completely comply with an
open access policy, it does have a role in encouraging this practice. The
Government should encourage, as part of its funding agreements with
these organisations, that research results be deposited in open access
journals or repositories. The Committee believes this is an important step
to maximise the value of the Government’s research and development
investment, and further contribute to scientific research and innovation.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
