Hundreds of jobs at Australia’s national science agency could be on the chopping block before the end of 2025, as the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) warns of further staff reductions amid what it describes as the most severe round of job cuts at the CSIRO in a decade.
More than 440 positions were slashed in 2023 alone, and approximately 200 fixed-term contracts were allowed to quietly expire.
The CPSU now believes further losses are imminent—this time targeting research units central to Australia’s science and innovation agenda.
In its recent submission to the Economic Reform Roundtable, the CPSU said the reductions “actively undermine” Australia’s capacity for productivity growth and scientific progress.
“For decades, the CSIRO has delivered some of Australia’s most important breakthroughs—from Wi-Fi and plastic banknotes to insect repellent,” Susan Tonks, CSIRO Staff Association Section Secretary said in a statement shared with The Epoch Times.
CSIRO: Adapting to Future Needs
CSIRO, however, called the move a reshaping of its research portfolio to stay aligned with evolving national priorities.
“To achieve this, we must retain the distinct advantages we have as Australia’s national science agency,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“But we also need to evolve—doing fewer things, better and at scale.”
The agency said workforce planning is underway to ensure the organisation has the right scale and capability to deliver against its scientific mission.
All decisions, it said, will be made in accordance with the CSIRO Enterprise Agreement, including requirements to consult staff before any final moves.
CSIRO also clarified that a projected fall in average staffing levels, as noted in the 2025–26 federal budget, partly reflects a separate internal restructure affecting non-research divisions—particularly within Enterprise Services, which is nearing completion.
