The federal government has confirmed an additional $233 million in funding for the CSIRO, as Australia’s national science agency moves to cut up to 350 jobs, saying it can no longer absorb rising costs without further financial support.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to announce the funding in the Mid-Year Financial and Economic Outlook (MYEFO) on Dec. 17, amid growing concern over the agency’s financial position.
“That has been something that we’ve committed to for some time, an extra $45 million in the last budget, extra $233 million in this budget,” Chalmers told ABC Mornings.
The confirmation follows a Nov. 18 announcement by CSIRO that between 300 and 350 research and science roles could be cut nationwide, with the agency saying it had reached a “critical inflection point” after years of escalating operating expenses.
CSIRO Chief Executive Doug Hilton told staff the organisation was significantly restructuring programs to remain viable.
“These are difficult but necessary changes to safeguard our national science agency so we can continue solving the challenges that matter to Australia and Australians,” Hilton said.
More than 800 roles have already been cut, while hundreds of fixed-term contracts have been allowed to lapse as part of earlier cost-saving measures.
The agency’s union, CSIRO Staff Association, earlier said that one-off funding injections will not be sufficient, estimating the agency requires between $80 million and $135 million in additional funding each year for the next decade.
No Cuts to Funding
Science Minister Tim Ayres has repeatedly rejected claims that the CSIRO’s funding has been reduced, saying the agency continues to receive about $1 billion annually.“That’s the most important point,” Ayres said last month. “It’s a really important commitment to our premier national science institution.”
Ayres said the CSIRO was undergoing its first comprehensive review of research programs in 15 years to ensure its work aligns with national science priorities.
“What’s going on in the CSIRO is … programs of research match very closely the federal government’s national science priorities,” he said.
“We have funded the CSIRO fully. We continue to do that. There are no funding cuts, and none anticipated.”
Parliamentary Scrutiny
Questions were raised in Parliament last month over the scale of job losses and the adequacy of government support.During Question Time on Nov. 26, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, representing the science minister, confirmed that additional funding had been approved.
She also said there had been no cuts to the CSIRO’s base funding, adding that staffing decisions remained the responsibility of the agency, not ministers.
The matter was raised by Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, who urged the government to immediately invest $75 million to prevent the job losses.
