CSIRO Staff Association has welcomed the Albanese Labor Government’s announcement of an additional $233 million for the CSIRO.
This investment is desperately needed and will help stabilise immediate operational and infrastructure pressures at Australia’s national science agency.
In recent years, CSIRO has rolled out widespread and aggressive job cuts to science support, science and research roles across the organisation. These cuts have hit research units including CSIRO’s data and digital arm, Data61, Health and Biosecurity and Food and Agriculture. 818 jobs have been cut so far under the Albanese Government, with a further 350 cuts announced last month, exceeding the Abbott Government’s cuts. CSIRO management must do the right thing with this funding and ensure further job cuts are abandoned.
While the funding announced is significant and will address urgent pressures at the CSIRO, it is a one-off injection that will not address long-term funding issues.
The cost of doing science continues to rise, and ageing national research infrastructure requires sustained capital investment. Without a permanent increase to funding for Australia’s peak science agency, the CSIRO will continue to face uncertainty.
CSIRO Staff Association will continue to advocate for long term funding increase to ensure the future of the CSIRO, the important work it does and the critical staff who work there, are secure.
“The CSIRO Staff Association has advocated fiercely for this investment over the past 18 months. We know that our members will be pleased to see that the Albanese Labor Government has listened and acknowledged the importance of their work and publicly funded science.
“However, this funding injection does not address the long-term funding problems facing the CSIRO. CSIRO’s permanent funding arrangements have not kept pace with the cost of doing science. And as a percentage of GDP, their funding has gone backwards.
“We will continue to advocate for a permanent increase to CSIRO’s funding to secure the future of the CSIRO, its work and its staff.
“Unfortunately, CSIRO scientists across the country are still heading into Christmas not knowing if their job and research will be next to go under the announced cuts, but this investment must save jobs.
“CSIRO management must do the right thing with this funding and ensure further job cuts are abandoned.
“CSIRO’s contribution to Australia has been and will continue to be immense. This is the organisation that invented WiFi and Aeroguard, and we must support it to tackle the challenges of the future.