CSIRO funding boost announced

On Thursday, 17 December, the federal government announced an additional $233 million for the CSIRO in its mid-year fiscal and economic outlook (MYEFO).

This investment is thanks to the public campaigning, advocacy and lobbying by Proud to be Public supporters and union members across the CSIRO Staff Association and CPSU.

Into the future

While this funding will help stabilise immediate operational and infrastructure pressures at Australia’s national science agency, it is a one-off injection that will not address long-term funding issues.

The cost of doing science continues to rise, and ageing national research infrastructure requires sustained capital investment. Without a permanent increase to funding for Australia’s peak science agency, the CSIRO will continue to face uncertainty.

CSIRO Staff Association Secretary Susan Tonks said, “The CSIRO Staff Association has advocated fiercely for this investment over the past 18 months. We know that our members will be pleased to see that the Albanese Labor Government has listened and acknowledged the importance of their work and publicly funded science.”

“Unfortunately, CSIRO scientists across the country are still heading into Christmas not knowing if their job and research will be next to go under the announced cuts, but this investment must save jobs.”

“CSIRO management must do the right thing with this funding and ensure further job cuts are abandoned.”

“We will continue to campaign for long term funding increases to ensure the future of the CSIRO, the important work it does and the critical staff who work there, are secure.”

“CSIRO’s contribution to Australia has been and will continue to be immense. This is the organisation that invented WiFi and Aeroguard, and we must support it to tackle the challenges of the future.”