Science & Technology Australia (STA) warns proposed cuts affecting up to 86 roles across CSIRO's Technology and Biosecurity Research Units will deepen job uncertainty in a science system already strained by years of stagnant real funding.
STA CEO Ryan Winn said the proposed job cuts were distressing for affected staff and reinforced the urgent need for sustained investment and reform across Australia's whole research and development system.
"These scientists and research staff have built careers tackling challenges that matter to all Australians. They now face further uncertainty about their futures and the future of their work," Mr Winn said.
"This is the harsh reality across much of Australian science. Funding has failed to keep pace with the rising cost of research, leaving institutions under pressure and talented people questioning whether they have a future in their employing institution, or even the broader sector.
"When funding stands still in real terms while research costs rise, our capacity to do world-class science goes backwards."
CSIRO says the proposed changes reflect its strategic priorities rather than a need to reduce costs and expects its overall workforce to remain stable as it recruits for other roles.
"A stable overall headcount does not tell the whole story. The loss of experienced researchers can mean losing specialist expertise, established partnerships and capabilities that have taken decades to build," Mr Winn said.
"We urge CSIRO to work closely with staff and the CSIRO Staff Association to maximise opportunities for redeployment and retain valuable expertise.
"The additional funding for CSIRO in this year's Federal Budget, to support issues related to its infrastructure maintenance, was welcome. But the challenges facing Australian science require sustained investment across the research system, alongside a clear plan for its future.
"Repeated rounds of job cuts send a damaging message to people considering a science career, and to those deciding whether to stay. Australia needs more STEM expertise to lift productivity, strengthen economic resilience and build new industries. We risk losing the very people needed to deliver those ambitions."
Nearly eight months since the Australian Government released the Ambitious Australia report, STA continues to call for timely implementation of its recommendations as a comprehensive package of reform backed by new, long-term investment.
A first critical step is establishing the proposed National Resilience and Science Council, announced 170 days ago in the May Budget. Given its central role in guiding the wider reform package, establishing the Council is a matter of urgency - and it must hit the ground running, with a clear mandate to lead substantive and critical reform across the sector and for the economy.
"Ambitious Australia provides the blueprint for a stronger, more coherent research and development system. We need a clear implementation timetable, funding that reflects the true cost of research in the next Federal Budget, and a national plan to attract and retain our STEM workforce," Mr Winn said.
"Our researchers need certainty to build careers, sustain partnerships and pursue discoveries whose benefits may take years to realise.
"Implementing Ambitious Australia is an investment in those people and in Australia's future prosperity. We cannot afford to let more capability slip away while we wait."
