Hundreds more jobs could be axed at Australia’s national science agency, sparking concerns the country is gutting its research capability just as the Trump administration makes deep cuts into the sector in the US.
The latest potential research job losses at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) follow 440 positions being cut last financial year and earlier deep reductions under the Coalition government, including 300 in 2016.
They coincide with the Trump administration slashing science agencies in the US, with warnings the loss of expertise could have global ramifications in health, climate science and weather forecasting.
The Community and Public Sector Union said the Australian cuts were at odds with the Albanese government’s promise to prioritise economic productivity and urged the government to instead increase investment in the CSIRO.
Susan Tonks, the union’s CSIRO spokesperson, said: “There’s a clear disconnect between the government’s talk about boosting productivity and their failure to support the very institution that helps deliver it.”
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A CSIRO spokesperson confirmed the agency was “reshaping its research portfolio” with a goal of making it more financially sustainable, but did not indicate how many jobs might be lost. They said the changes were in part due to the end of Covid-19 “safety net” funding and other government savings measures, and would “ensure we are focused on delivering the science Australia needs now and into the future”.
David Karoly, a University of Melbourne emeritus professor who previously worked at CSIRO, said the cuts were not being offset elsewhere. He said Australia had lower levels of industry funding in research than comparable countries.
“There’s a dilemma as to whether Australia wants to support the research infrastructure that’s needed to support ongoing research activities in science,” he said. “The simple answer is Australia doesn’t appear to want to do that.”
The latest cuts were understood to primarily affect the CSIRO’s agriculture and food research unit, with reductions in health and safety, IT and business development. Research unit staff were expected to be informed about funding and staffing changes by October.
The May federal budget papers showed an expected 450 person reduction in CSIRO staff, from 5,945 in 2024-25 to 5,495 this financial year.
The union said the cuts were the worst since 2014, when the Abbott government oversaw an estimated 20% reduction in staff.
Tonks said the agency’s staff were experiencing “deep anxiety” over the CSIRO’s strategic direction and the cuts were “directly undermining Australia’s ability to innovate, compete and grow”.
“This will continue to be the case as long as this government sits on its hands while hundreds of staff at the CSIRO are shown the door with little to no explanation,” she said. “If this government is serious about productivity, it must step in, stop the cuts, and back our country’s peak science institution.”
The CSIRO also confirmed it would sell its stake in the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, in Perth’s northern suburbs, by the end of 2025. The agency said it was a “small partner”, owning about 15% of the Watermans Bay site.
A spokesperson said the agency remained “committed to the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre partnership”.
