CSIRO presses on with job cuts despite 387 million dollar funding boost
Australia's federal science agency CSIRO confirmed it will press ahead with cutting around 500 researchers and support staff despite a 387 million Australian dollar funding boost. The CPSU union called it 'a blow to national science infrastructure'. The government says it stands behind the agency.
CSIRO management said the additional funding does not close the deficit accumulated in previous years and that restructuring continues. The job losses will be concentrated less in the AI and IoT cluster and more in traditional agriculture, minerals and telecommunications research units.
Federal Science Minister Ed Husic said CSIRO will be 'strengthened in the priorities of the years ahead — climate, quantum and food security'. The opposition retorted that the government was turning its back on mining- and energy-focused science.
Other Western governments operating under tight budgets are facing similar dilemmas. The Czech Republic, Canada and the United Kingdom have all revised public R&D budgets in recent months. Last week, UK Research and Innovation announced a 1 billion pound savings package.
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