During the six years that Robin Batterham served as Chief Scientist of Australia, from 1999 until last month, he weathered repeated accusations that his independence was sullied by conflicts of interest. Perhaps that perception was unsurprising, considering Batterham served his country on a part-time basis. Two days a week, he advised the national government on its research priorities and policy; the rest of the time he worked as chief technologist for the mining giant, Rio Tinto.