Australia's premier scientific research organisation has confirmed plans to eliminate hundreds of positions in what union leaders are calling a devastating blow to publicly funded science.
Significant Staff Reductions Announced
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) revealed on Tuesday that it will cut between 300 and 350 additional research roles starting next year. This latest round of job losses comes on top of previous reductions implemented earlier this year and throughout last year.
During a town hall meeting with staff, agency leaders outlined the challenging financial circumstances driving these cuts. The organisation faces substantial budgetary shortfalls and is seeking to identify savings while pursuing new funding sources.
Property Portfolio and Research Priorities
The CSIRO also disclosed it requires between $80 million and $135 million annually to renovate its ageing property portfolio. Remarkably, approximately 80% of the agency's 800 properties are nearing the end of their functional life cycles.
In a formal statement, CSIRO chief Doug Hilton asserted that these difficult changes would position the organisation "for the decades ahead with a sharpened research focus that capitalises on our unique strengths."
Staff were informed that the agency would deprioritise certain research areas based on an updated statement of expectations from the minister. Guardian Australia understands the health and biosecurity, agriculture and food, and environment research units will be particularly affected by the latest job losses.
Strong Reactions from Science Community
Susan Tonks, secretary of the CSIRO staff association, characterised the announcement as "a very sad day for publicly funded science in this country." She notably stated that the cuts implemented under the current Albanese government now exceed those made during the Abbott Coalition government.
"They are now responsible for cuts to public science that exceed the Abbott government - cuts current Labor MPs rightly slammed at the time," Tonks emphasised. "These are some of the worst cuts the CSIRO has ever seen, and they're coming at a time when we should be investing in and building up public science."
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) described the news as "disheartening" for both the research community and the Australian economy.
President Dr Katherine Woodthorpe acknowledged CSIRO's century-long contribution to Australian and global innovation, while expressing concern about the ongoing erosion of funding for government research agencies. She highlighted that every dollar invested in CSIRO typically returns a three-fold benefit to the economy over time.
The cuts reflect a broader pattern of dwindling support for government-funded research institutions, creating what Dr Woodthorpe characterised as "an incredibly tough time for our research community" at precisely the moment when scientific investment is most crucial for national productivity and innovation.
