Selected CSIRO media mentions for the week commencing 27 October. If you encounter a paywall, request a text version by emailing the article title here.
Blood test breakthrough could transform Alzheimer’s diagnosis – Australian scientists have developed a simpler, less invasive way to detect Alzheimer’s disease that could make it easier for patients to access emerging disease-modifying therapies… Bio World, 29 October 2025 (link, text below).
CSIRO and Australian Institute of Marine Science under fire for backing Sea-Dumping agenda – Maritime workers and community members will rally outside CSIRO’s Melbourne office, demanding that Australia’s leading science agencies – CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science – stop legitimising oil and gas industry research that promotes ocean dumping… MUA Media release, 28 October 2025 (link, text below).
Hearing From the Scientists Capturing Earth’s Atmospheric Truths from Tasmania’s Remote Coast – Since 1976, Cape Grim has formed part of Australia’s early commitment to global climate observation under the United Nations Environment Program. Jointly managed by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, the station provides world-leading data that guides Australia’s progress toward international climate goals… Get The Word Out, 27 October 2025 (link, text below).
Urgent need for Indigenous-led approach to AI in healthcare – The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare has resulted in a gap of understanding in how AI can best serve Indigenous people. Research from CSIRO together with Indigenous partner organisations has found a critical need to build responsible AI systems that include Indigenous knowledge and data… InSight, 27 October 2025 (link, text below).
Hydrogen fuel breakthrough in Queensland could fire up massive new export market – Two cars powered by hydrogen derived from ammonia will be tested in Brisbane today thanks to a Queensland breakthrough that CSIRO researchers say could turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower… ABC News, 8 August 2025 (link, text below).
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Bio World, 29 October 2025
Australian scientists have developed a simpler, less invasive way to detect Alzheimer’s disease that could make it easier for patients to access emerging disease-modifying therapies.
Researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have identified blood-based biomarker tests capable of confirming amyloid plaque in the brain with accuracy comparable to the current gold standards using positron emission tomography scans and lumbar punctures.
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MUA Media release, 28 October 2025
Maritime workers and community members will rally outside CSIRO’s Melbourne office, demanding that Australia’s leading science agencies – CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science – stop legitimising oil and gas industry research that promotes ocean dumping.
The protest, organised by the Maritime Union of Australia’s member-led Future Jobs Now Committee, calls out CSIRO and AIMS for collaborating with the oil and gas lobby through the National Decommissioning Research Initiative (NDRI). The union says the research legitimises “in situ” dumping of contaminated steel in the Gippsland Basin, undermining environmental law and costing Victoria thousands of recycling and green-steel jobs.
The MUA also stands in solidarity with CSIRO workers facing job losses and is demanding full funding for independent public science and a clean, worker-led decommissioning industry in Victoria.
Under the guise of “independent science,” the National Decommissioning Research Initiative’s new framework treats in situ decommissioning — abandoning steel and contaminated infrastructure on the seabed — as an acceptable environmental option, ‘equal or better than full removal’.
In practice, industry funds the work, sets the research agenda, and manages the program, while CSIRO and AIMS lend their institutional legitimacy through participation and co-authorship. The MUA warns that this approach will be used to justify leaving steel pile jackets in the Gippsland Basin, despite the legal standard under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 requiring full removal.
“CSIRO and AIMS are using the credibility of public science to serve private interests,” said Robert Lumsden, MUA Victorian Branch Secretary. “They’re helping industry rebrand ocean dumping as environmental management. That’s not science — that’s spin.”
The union argues that these frameworks deny Victoria the chance to build a domestic dismantling and recycling industry, with recovered materials feeding the state’s growing green-steel sector.
“Victoria has an electric arc furnace at Laverton that needs scrap steel — exactly what’s being left to rust offshore,” said Aarin Moon, the MUA Victoria Assistant Branch Secretary. “Instead of dumping this material in the ocean, it could power the next generation of clean industry and secure local jobs.”
The MUA is also standing in solidarity with CSIRO workers, hundreds of whom face redundancy due to insufficient federal budget allocations.
“We support the scientists who want to do real, independent research,” said Mr Lumsden. “But CSIRO’s leadership can’t claim to protect science while cutting jobs and taking oil and gas money. Australia needs properly funded public science — not corporate capture.”
The MUA says Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has a crucial role in ensuring offshore decommissioning is done properly, as she shares responsibility for the final sign-off when oil and gas titles are surrendered back to the public. The union expressed confidence that the Minister understands the stakes — for the environment, the workforce, and future generations.
“Minister D’Ambrosio has shown real leadership on climate and energy,” said Mr Moon. “We’re urging her to bring that same integrity to decommissioning — to make sure companies don’t walk away from their mess and that Victorians aren’t left footing the bill decades from now.”
The union is calling for:
– Immediate withdrawal of CSIRO and AIMS from industry-funded NDRI projects pending an independent review of governance and data integrity.
– Full public disclosure of all oil and gas funding agreements and research veto rights.
– Federal reinvestment in public science and clean manufacturing, linking decommissioning to onshore recycling and green-steel production in Victoria.
MEDIA QUOTE SHEET
“Victorians are paying attention to the Parliamentary Inquiry because it’s about our coast, our jobs and our future. The last thing we need is CSIRO and AIMS giving cover to the oil and gas lobby’s plan to leave their waste in Bass Strait.”
“The research agenda isn’t neutral — it’s funded and governed by the same corporations that stand to profit from avoiding removal. That’s not independence, it’s buying an outcome.”
“Victoria can lead the clean-up and build a green-steel industry that keeps those materials here in Laverton — or let them rust on the seabed. The inquiry must ensure we choose the first option.”
“Public science should work for the public. We stand with CSIRO workers who are being laid off, but we’re calling out leadership decisions that sell our science — and our future — to the highest bidder.”
“We built these offshore platforms — we know what’s down there. Leaving them in place is dangerous and short-sighted. It’s not decommissioning, it’s dumping.”
“If the government allows this, future generations will be dealing with mercury, radioactive waste and collapsing structures in our sea. The inquiry must put safety and accountability before corporate savings.”
“This is about what kind of future Victoria wants to build. We can recycle this material into the green steel that powers our renewable future, or abandon it offshore and lose the jobs that go with it.”
“Laverton’s electric arc furnace shows we already have the infrastructure to turn waste into opportunity. That’s what real just transition looks like — Victorian jobs cleaning up Victorian waters.”
“The inquiry gives Victoria the chance to draw a line in the sand, we want transparency, independent science and a clear commitment from the Environment Minister: protect the coast, back local jobs and make the polluters pay.”
Key Messages
The Maritime Union of Australia’s Victorian Branch is calling for:
– Full disclosure of CSIRO and AIMS funding ties to the oil and gas industry.
– Withdrawal from industry-led NDRI projects pending independent review.
– State and federal investment in Victorian-based dismantling and recycling, including backing the use of electric arc furnaces.
– Strong recommendations from the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry to ensure clean-up work creates secure local jobs — not offshore waste.
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Get The Word Out, 27 October 2025
Perched on a windswept cliff at the north-western tip of Tasmania, the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station quietly watches over the air of the Southern Hemisphere. One of only three premier stations in the World Meteorological Organisation’s Global Atmosphere Watch network, it measures critical data that underpins our global understanding of greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances, and atmospheric aerosols. During my visit, I was given rare insight into our planet’s changing atmosphere.
I was struck by the calm precision of the scientists who dedicate their lives to understanding the air we all depend on.
The site carries profound cultural and scientific importance. The Peerapper people first called this area Kennaook, long before Matthew Flinders named it Cape Grim in 1798. Since 1976, it has formed part of Australia’s early commitment to global climate observation under the United Nations Environment Program. Jointly managed by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, the station provides world-leading data that guides Australia’s progress toward international climate goals.
Soon after the station’s establishment, scientists began preserving samples of air that would become the Cape Grim Air Archive. This priceless library lets us look back through decades of atmospheric change. Each record contains the composition of clean, baseline air from the edge of the world, creating a timeline of human impact.
By analysing these samples, researchers can identify when new pollutants first appeared, refine climate models, and link modern air data with ancient ice-core records. These insights underpin global reports from the IPCC and shape the science that guides international climate action.
What began as a few flasks of air collected on a lonely cliff would go on to shape the world’s understanding of atmospheric change. Dr Paul Fraser, who founded the Cape Grim Air Archive in 1978, still remembers the bottles of air he held, which now tell a story far too important to lose.
“When we began collecting those first samples all those years ago, I never imagined they would become a cornerstone of global climate science,” Dr Fraser said.
“It soon seemed to me that the information they held about atmospheric trends was too valuable to discard by venting, so I kept them, and we’ve continued, year after year, building a record that I am proud to see shared with some of the world’s best atmospheric laboratories and scientists.
I’m also deeply aware of the essential contributions of my Bureau of Meteorology colleagues and the CSIRO scientists who have made the concept a reality.”
To date, the archive data have contributed to more than 150 CSIRO and international peer-reviewed publications on climate change.
As I toured the facility, the data on display painted a confronting picture of humanity’s footprint on the air we breathe. Since the 18th century, carbon dioxide has risen by 50 per cent, methane by more than 170 per cent, and nitrous oxide by 25 per cent, levels unprecedented in human history. These changes trace back to the Industrial Revolution, when burning coal and other fossil fuels began releasing vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Paul Krummel, Lead Scientist at Kennaook / Cape Grim for the Greenhouse Gas and Ozone-Depleting Substances Program, said the records clearly show humanity’s influence.
“Human activity has significantly impacted the atmosphere through the ever-increasing levels of major greenhouse gases and the destruction of the ozone layer by ozone-depleting substances,” Mr Krummel said.
He added that it is both heartening and sobering to see the dual stories told by the data.
“The decline in CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances shows progress is possible, yet the continued rise of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide reminds us how much work remains.”
The rising concentrations are not just numbers on a chart; they represent a fundamental shift in the planet’s balance. The excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases is warming oceans, intensifying bushfires, disrupting rainfall, and melting glaciers at record rates. Sea levels are rising, coral reefs are weakening, and weather extremes are becoming more personal, touching health, homes, and livelihoods around the world.
“But the good news is that when we work together, we can reverse some of that damage. The Montreal Protocol remains the best example of what coordinated global action can achieve,” Mr Krummel said.
Kylie Farrelley, General Manager of Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA), says that while the scientists at Kennaook / Cape Grim measure what’s already in the atmosphere, RRA is working to change what goes into it.
“Since its inception, RRA has safely destroyed over 10,000 tonnes of refrigerants, preventing the emission of more than 20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and protecting more than 11 million tonnes of stratospheric ozone,” Farrelley said.
“Funded by an industry levy, we work together with technicians nationwide to collect and safely eliminate contaminated, surplus, and unwanted gases. In partnership with CSIRO, our work builds on Cape Grim’s research to better understand refrigerant emissions and reduce their impact.”
The collaboration between CSIRO, Bureau of Meteorology, RRA and stakeholders’ bridges science and industry, deepening understanding of how refrigerant gases contribute to Australia’s emissions profile. Data from Kennaook / Cape Grim continues to inform real-world solutions for emissions reduction and environmental stewardship.
The visit reinforced that measurement and action must go hand in hand. The same gases first identified in Kennaook / Cape Grim clean-air records now drive Australia’s refrigerant stewardship model, proof that accountability and innovation can coexist.
By capturing and safely destroying synthetic greenhouse gases, Australia sets a global benchmark aligned with insights. The scientists in Tasmania and the technicians on the ground reclaiming refrigerant nationwide all share one goal: to protect the air we breathe, today and for generations to come.
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InSight, 27 October 2025
The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare has resulted in a gap of understanding in how AI can best serve Indigenous people
Research from Australia’s national science agency together with Indigenous partner organisations has found a critical need to build responsible AI systems that include Indigenous knowledge and data.
Dr Andrew Goodman, Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Western Queensland and CSIRO Research Scientist and lead author, said this oversight in AI design must be addressed in order to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Dr Andrew Goodman believes their findings clearly show how current approaches to AI use in healthcare lack detailed information on cultural diversity, which results in a gap in understanding of how AI can serve Indigenous peoples.
“AI isn’t intelligent. It’s totally reliant on the data it’s trained on and the algorithmic lens that’s applied to it,” Dr Goodman told InSight+.
“If AI is to benefit our mob, it must reflect our voices, our data and our ways of knowing. Without Indigenous-led governance there’s a real risk that AI will perpetuate bias and repeat the mistakes of the past.”
“If we put Eurocentric deficit-based data into the synthetic system, then you’re going to get a very deficit-based conclusion out.”
To address this inherent AI bias, Dr Goodman and his co-authors spoke to 53 participants, including executive leaders, service managers, researchers, administrators, and information technologists who shared their perspectives on AI and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care. They then identified three top priorities, to ensure the safe and effective use of AI is guided by Indigenous voices and knowledges.
“The first being AI health literacy and appropriateness. Namely, our partners want to make informed decisions of how AI may be applied within their organisations and their value systems,” he said.
“Secondly, was considerations of Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance. That AI learning models are trained with an Indigenous lens to account for the diverse needs of community, that AI algorithms and learning models mitigate Eurocentric biases and deficit data discourse as it relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. And that access to Indigenous data should be structured to ensure Indigenous controlled review and regular evaluation processes.”
“And finally, our third top priority was the self-determination of AI development and implementation. Essentially, our partners want to be in the driver’s seat. They want to ensure that it’s done in the appropriate way and the right guardrails are up in place so that they can utilise it in a culturally safe and relevant and most impactful way.”
Dr Goodman said while these are early findings, the Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Australian Indigenous Communities: Scoping Project to Explore Relevance report provides a critical starting point for how to build responsible AI systems in technology such as apps and data collection that would embed cultural knowledge in the heart of the design of AI systems.
The project was co-led by CSIRO’s Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS Brisbane), the Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Digital in Health (CEADH), and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
The team will use the findings from the scoping project to co-design self-determined AI tools in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
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ABC News, 8 August 2025
Two cars powered by hydrogen derived from ammonia will be tested in Brisbane today thanks to a Queensland breakthrough that CSIRO researchers say could turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower.
CSIRO principal research scientist Michael Dolan said it was a very exciting day for a project that has been a decade in the making.
“We started out with what we thought was a good idea, it is exciting to see it on the cusp of commercial deployment,” he said.
For the past decade, researchers have worked on producing ultra-high purity hydrogen using a unique membrane technology.
The membrane breakthrough will allow hydrogen to be safely transported and used as a mass production energy source.
“We are certainly the first to demonstrate the production of very clean hydrogen from ammonia,” Dr Dolan said.
“Today is the very first time in the world that hydrogen cars have been fuelled with a fuel derived from ammonia — carbon-free fuel.”
Program leader David Harris said Australia has a huge source of renewable energy — sunlight and wind — that can be utilised to produce hydrogen.
But the highly flammable element is difficult to ship long distances because of its low density.
CSIRO researchers found a way to turn Australian-made hydrogen into ammonia, meaning it could be shipped safely to the mass market of Asia.
It is converted back into hydrogen using their membrane, then pumped into hydrogen-powered cars.
As of now, there are only five such cars in Australia, but there are tens of thousands across Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
“The key here is we can transport the hydrogen from the place where it is produced from renewable energy — let’s say maybe that is in outback WA — and we can ship that form of ammonia anywhere in the world,” Dr Harris said.
Independent industry association Hydrogen Mobility Australia said the technology has the potential to fill a gap in the chain to supply fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) with low-emissions hydrogen produced in Australia.
CEO, Claire Johnson said use of hydrogen as a transport fuel is being recognised globally as a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the world’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“Hydrogen powered vehicles, including buses, trucks, trains, forklifts as well as passenger cars are being manufactured by leading automotive companies and deployed worldwide as part of their efforts to decarbonise the transport sector,” she said.
Ms Johnson said 15 member companies are committed to developing a hydrogen refuelling station network across Australia, along with two pilot sites including a portable refuelling truck and station in Sydney.
“In parallel, local and state governments have also committed to build hydrogen refuelling infrastructure with stations set to come online in the next 12 to18 months,” she said.
Hydrogen-powered cars could be on sale in Australia within the next two years.
‘A massive step for Australia’
Both Toyota and Hyundai have invested millions of dollars into hydrogen-powered cars.
Today’s road test will be on Hyundai’s flagship eco car the Nexo SUV, and Toyota’s Mirai.
The ABC got a sneak peek at the testing station where the cars were fuelled up and given a short test at CSIRO’s Pullenvale technology hub in western Brisbane.
Hyundai spokesman Scott Nargar said the main advantage of hydrogen over electric cars was they could be filled up in three minutes like a normal car and had a range of up to 800 kilometres.
“So they are just like driving a normal car but there will be zero emissions,” he said.
“From a car manufacturer’s point of view, we see this as a massive step for Australia.
“Working in and out of South Korea quite regularly, I know Hyundai has a massive contract to provide hydrogen buses to the Korean Government.
“It just announced 16,000 hydrogen-powered cars will go on the road and 310 hydrogen refilling stations across the country under a five-year plan.
“They need to power those cars from somewhere so why can’t it be renewable hydrogen from Australia?”
Toyota spokesman Matthew Macleod said the breakthrough was exciting because it addressed one of the key challenges with hydrogen.
“It is a game-changer,” he said.
“Ammonia already has established routes for transportation and to transport at relatively normal temperatures.
“When it gets to where it is going they can actually pull the hydrogen out using the CSIRO technology, which opens up fuel cell technology to markets that previously did not have the technology.
“From an energy perspective, the ability to move solar energy or wind energy from one place to another using ammonia opens up doors that previously would have been closed because of the difficulties of transporting hydrogen.”
Australia’s next export boom
The CSIRO team has already received expressions of interest from Japan, South Korea and Europe, with industry players looking at taking up supplies initially to fuel commercial vehicles like buses, taxis, trucks and trains.
Dr Dolan said a million hydrogen-powered cars were expected to hit the streets by 2025.
Currently hydrogen-fuelled cars sell for about $80,000, but, as with electric cars run on power-grid charged batteries, the price is expected to fall as production increases.
Mr Nargar said they expected to see price parity with petrol and diesel cars within a decade.
Dr Dolan said the cost for the fuel would be around $15 a kilogram, with an average car holding five kilos of pure hydrogen in a tank.
“But the efficiency of the car is twice as good as current gasoline cars, so you can actually drive twice as far on a tank,” he said.
Dr Dolan said renewable hydrogen was seen as Australia’s next export boom.
“It could potentially rival our LNG export industry,” he said.
“As of this year Australia is the world’s biggest natural gas exporter. Hydrogen could be in the same position in the next couple of decades.”