The union representing science workers at Australia’s leading research agency have called on the Albanese Labor Government to use next month’s federal budget to provide significant additional and ongoing support for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), echoing the recommendations of a recently released Senate inquiry report.
CSIRO Staff Association Secretary Susan Tonks said that the findings of a Senate Inquiry report into CSIRO funding and resourcing display the deep community and industry support for Australia’s iconic research agency – responsible for everyday innovation such as Wi-Fi, polymer bank notes and Aeroguard – while demonstrating the decades-long deterioration in funding that has led to thousands of job cuts under recent Coalition and Labor governments.
The inquiry was launched late last year following the announcement of CSIRO Chief Executive Doug Hilton of plans to cut up to 350 research positions, on the back of the loss of more than 800 jobs in the twelve months prior, mainly to science support roles.
While the Federal Government announced another $233 million for CSIRO as part of December’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), Dr Hilton’s subsequent admission that the extra funding would not stop even a single proposed job cut underscored the need for ongoing, additional support.
Key recommendations from the CSIRO funding and resourcing report:
The inquiry heard evidence and testimony from scientists, researchers and representatives from a diverse selection of individuals and groups, ranging from scientists appearing in a personal capacity, to industry big-hitters and representatives of the peak bodies for research.
These included CSIRO, the Community and Public Sector Union (CSIRO Staff Association), Science and Technology Australia, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Australian Academy of Science, National Farmer’s Federation and Boeing.
“CSIRO plays an irreplaceable role in delivering world-leading science and innovation that underpins Australia’s prosperity, security, sovereign capability and wellbeing.”
“Urgent action is needed to protect CSIRO’s capacity to deliver public good science and maintain Australia’s global standing.”
“That includes immediate funding to prevent job losses, investment in research capacity and long-term support to ensure financial sustainability, as well as improved organisational transparency and accountability.”
“As a matter of urgency, we are calling on the Albanese Government to use the federal budget to provide additional funding to halt and reverse staff losses and to suspend further cuts pending an independent external review of CSIRO’s restructure process.”
“CSIRO staff – and the Australian community they are dedicated to serving – deserve better support. Immediate and long-term funding, accountable leadership and transparent and consultative decision-making with genuine staff engagement is essential to restore and sustain CSIRO’s capacity.”
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The Canberra Times, 28 April 2026
The Albanese government must “clarify whether there will be any further funding cuts or job losses” at the CSIRO, a parliamentary inquiry has found as pressure increases for a boost to the national science agency in next month’s federal budget.
As the CSIRO slashes its workforce by another 350 roles on top of 800 already culled, the final report of the inquiry into the agency’s resourcing said the government must “acknowledge that investment in CSIRO is an investment in Australia’s future prosperity, not simply a cost to the budget.”
The Senate economics committee’s inquiry report, published on Tuesday, said the job losses were “due to the decisions of the Albanese government.”
ACT independent senator David Pocock said a permanent increase to the agency’s annual appropriation, which is currently around $1 billion, along with annual indexation top-ups, was needed to “halt and progressively reverse” the real-term decline in the CSIRO’s funding.
The Greens dissented to the majority report, urging the government to reverse all funding and staffing cuts, commit to increased and ongoing funding for “public good” science and establish an audit of CSIRO facilities to “ensure its sustainability and viability.”
Science Minister Tim Ayres, who has described the CSIRO job cuts as “difficult but necessary,” insists the agency’s decisions are independent of government – despite having issued a rare statement of expectations telling it to shift research priorities.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said that how the CSIRO manages its budget “is a matter for them,” but extra funding has not been ruled out.
Senator Pocock said funding the national science agency was an area of government spending that could be funded through a new 25 per cent tax on gas export revenues, but this is not expected to be in the budget.
The CSIRO staff organisation used its pre-budget submission to call for the agency to receive an extra $491 million over the next three financial years, the amount it says is needed to prevent yet-to-be-announced job losses and keep pace with inflation.
Senator Ayres said the government “understands the importance of an independent, fit-for-purpose and sustainable national science agency” and that there had been “no funding cuts to the CSIRO”, which received a short-term $278 million top-up in the December mid-year budget update.
Senator Pocock said funding of the CSIRO was now less than half what it was in the 1980s on a per capita basis, while the cost of research had skyrocketed.
“This level of funding is so short-sighted as we need the work of its scientists more than ever to confront the challenges we face,” he said.
In additional comments in the report, Senator Pocock called out the CSIRO’s spending on external consulting after the agency was revealed to have paid almost $2 million to McKinsey & Company, including a 2022 contract “worth $742,500, close to $30,000 per day, for less than a month of work, with no written report required.”
“On the evidence currently available, they can’t be defended,” Senator Pocock wrote.
“This kind of spending is concerning in its own right, but it is even more damaging to public confidence in the agency because it occurred not long before the recent cuts to staff.”
He called for reform of the CSIRO’s procurement practices and “the full and immediate release of all documents, presentations and other outputs” produced by McKinsey for the contracts in question.
“There is no reasonable basis on which the public, the staff, or this Parliament should be expected to accept that nearly $2 million in consultancy spend is shielded from scrutiny on commercial-in-confidence grounds,” Senator Pocock said.
Greens finance and public sector spokesperson Barbara Pocock said underfunding of the CSIRO was “degrading Australia’s scientific workforce and eroding sovereign capability.”
“CSIRO workers are facing relentless uncertainty about their jobs and research,” Senator Pocock said.
“Australia is not just underfunding science – it is dismantling the workforce and capability needed to confront the defining challenges of this century.”
In its majority report, the committee acknowledged staff concerns about “inadequate” consultation after the inquiry heard that management had “seemingly not delved into the nature of important research” when deciding which researchers would face the axe.
It recommended that the CSIRO engage with those staff who felt there was “a lack of consultation and dialogue” around job losses or when programs would be discontinued or redirected.
The government should engage with the CSIRO about its strategic direction, publicly advise “how Australia’s sovereign, public research capability will be protected in the face of funding cuts and jobs losses” at the agency and consider “the impacts that reduced public and private funding have on Australian research capability,” it said.
This must include details of how the government would respond to the 2024 report of the Industry, Science and Resources department’s Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) Review, which recommended boosting research, development and innovation.
Greens science spokesperson Peter Whish-Wilson said evidence to the inquiry had made clear “that the challenges facing the CSIRO are the direct consequence of chronic underfunding by governments.”
“The CSIRO needs additional funding and a new commitment from current and subsequent governments to real increases in the resources available to our premier public science organisation,” he said.