- The Guardian
- Issue #2186
CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope. Photo: Amanda Slater – flickr.com (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The science industry showed up to support CSIRO in Canberra recently, as the Senate Economics Committee held a public hearing as part of an ongoing inquiry into CSIRO resources and funding.
A diverse selection of individuals and groups took part, ranging from scientists appearing in a personal capacity, to industry big-hitters and representatives of the peak bodies for research. CSIRO also gave evidence, and the Staff Association delegation presented the perspective from the workplace.
The committee is now considering the evidence and preparing a report for the Parliament, which is now expected to be complete no later than 21 April 2026.
UNION TESTIMONY
The views of CSIRO staff were represented by Staff Association Secretary Susan Tonks, CSIRO Governing Councillor Dr Everard Edwards and workplace delegate Dr Steve Rintoull.
“There’s no denying the desperate circumstances of our appearance here today,” Tonks said.
“Over the past year, CSIRO has lost more than 800 jobs, and now another 350 full-time-equivalent research roles are set to go. The scale of the cuts under the current government are set to surpass those made under the Abbott government.”
“While the government’s emergency MYEFO (Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook) funding is very welcome, it’s a one-off measure and does not address the CSIRO’s long-term sustainability. Put simply, CSIRO is barely surviving and needs urgent help,” Tonks said.
Dr Edwards drew on his experiences in the Agriculture and Food research unit.
“Currently, CSIRO believes that 70 per cent of research across the research unit is externally funded, and that includes the overheads, which typically are around 115 per cent of direct costs.”
“The impact of this is that we actually no longer have the ability to support new, up-and-coming industries or smaller industries in the way that we did in the past.”
“If we look at something like the wine industry, CSIRO had a key role in supporting its success in the 1980s. But, right now, we can’t really do that,” Dr Edwards said.
Dr Rintoul’s assessment of the funding landscape was plain.
“The funding model for CSIRO is broken. Generations of CSIRO leadership have attempted to cope with reduced appropriation in real terms by seeking external funding.”
“First, the appropriation funding was expected to be leveraged to obtain 30 per cent co-investment. Then it was 50 per cent. More recently, it was at least 70 per cent and preferably full cost recovery. Once all the appropriation is fully leveraged, it’s the end of the road.”
“This brings us to the present, where deep staff cuts have been made or proposed and further cuts seem likely, without a sizeable and immediate increase in funding,” Dr Rintoul said.
The research industry was well represented with testimony from Science and Technology Australia (STA), the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (AATSE), and the Australian Academy of Science (The Academy) to name just a few.
Science and Technology Australia Chief Executive Ryan Winn spoke of the funding pressures across the wider research community.
“CSIRO is the canary in the coal mine. Commonwealth funding for research and development has increased modestly over the past decade, but, in real terms, adjusted for inflation, it has flatlined or declined.”
“Just like households are feeling the pinch of the cost of living increasing faster than incomes, the research system is feeling the pinch of increasing research costs, from consumables to specialist equipment to wages, increasing faster than support from grants and appropriations.”
“The sector is hurting … this is not sustainable. Australia must choose whether we value our research capability enough to fund it properly,” Winn said.
