Prior to the announcement of the Federal Election, CSIRO Staff Association wrote to Adam Bandt, the Australian Greens spokesperson on science, research and innovation.
Mr Bandt is the member for Melbourne, first elected in 2010. He has held Greens portfolio responsibility for science for the past eight years.
Secretary Sam Popovski said the minor party’s response to the CSIRO Staff Association election priorities was comprehensive.
“The Australian Greens have fully backed the agenda of the Staff Association ahead of the Federal Election,” Mr Popovski said.
Jobs, funding and enterprise bargaining
“The Australian Greens are committed to an additional $40 million in annual government funding to the CSIRO, reversing the Coalition’s Budget cuts,” Mr Bandt said, adding that the party “supports the end of the staffing cap forced on CSIRO.”
Mr Bandt said that future rounds of enterprise bargaining at CSIRO needed to take a different approach.
“The Australian Greens believe the autonomy of the CSIRO must be respected and future governments should not force the Government’s bargaining policy on the CSIRO.”
Research policy
The Greens support the enforcement of the existing CSIRO charter to protect scientific integrity within CSIRO and new initiatives to promote research independence across the federal public sector.
The Australian Greens have been concerned by the growing evidence of political interference in scientific independence not just in Australia but around the world. The attack on climate science is only the most prominent example… the Australian Greens support the development and implementation of a science integrity charter.”
Mr Bandt stressed the importance of public funding for public good research.
“The Australian Greens support initiatives to reinforce the importance of using public funds for the public good by the CSIRO, including reinforcing this in the Statement of Expectations.”
The Greens were also “open to implementing” additional tax incentives for research and development collaboration between businesses and public sector agencies including CSIRO, Mr Bandt said.
Additional commitments
Mr Bandt firmly committed his support for a staff-elected member of the CSIRO Board.
“The Australian Greens support the creation of staff-elected positions on the CSIRO board and will work to make it happen.”
Other Staff Association priorities receiving Australian Greens support include regional science capacity, measures to address gender and cultural diversity and new initiatives to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation at CSIRO.
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Authorised by Sam Popovski, CSIRO Section Community & Public Sector Union (PSU Group) Level 7, 350 Queen Street Melbourne Victoria 3000.