Over the past year there have been around 700 job cuts to CSIRO, and there are more cuts expected to come.
These cuts undermine CSIRO’s support for Australian industries, reduce their research capabilities and diminish their ability to minimise threats to biosecurity and human health.
Many cuts have occurred to roles who support scientists to do their work, placing greater administrative burden on research staff and taking time away from crucial research work. Roles responsible for facility maintenance and safety have been cut, putting research staff and community safety at risk.
The cuts to date have included research units agriculture and food, Data61, health and biosecurity and manufacturing. Critical research has been abandoned and CSIRO will no longer conduct clinical trial research.
These job cuts are bigger than Tony Abbott’s cuts to CSIRO in 2014 and the largest in the last decade. The cuts have been reckless and occurred seemingly without any clear plan for future research priorities.