THE axe has finally fallen on 32 climate research division jobs at the CSIRO’s Aspendale laboratories.
Researchers and staff were told by management late last week about the cuts to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s atmospheric research centre in Aspendale.
Most of the science agency’s work monitoring climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and analysis on ice cores from Antarctica is conducted at the Aspendale site. About 100 staff worked at the Aspendale facilities before last week’s job cuts.
Federal Labor Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus slammed the Coalition government over the CSIRO cuts that Labor had argued should be delayed until after the 2 July federal election.
“The Liberal Party has finally done it. Their cuts to CSIRO have seen the climate research division gutted and some of Australia’s finest researchers sacked,” Mr Dreyfus said.
“Malcolm Turnbull has guaranteed that he will be remembered as the Prime Minister that tried to decimate one of Australia’s finest institutions.
“Worryingly, these job losses appear to have targeted CSIRO staff who spoke out against the government’s cuts to CSIRO.”
The federal government says the CSIRO is an independent statutory agency governed by a board of directors and as such makes its own operational decisions on where best to allocate funding for scientific research.
CSIRO chief executive officer Larry Marshall told staff at a meeting in Canberra in February that the national science agency is less interested in science for curiosity’s sake and will divert funding towards science “with impact” in future.
Part of a covert recording of the meeting was aired on the ABC’s Background Briefing radio show on Sunday.
Dr Marshall told staff the CSIRO’s most important customer, the federal government, has signalled climate science programs are no longer a priority.
“I don’t mean to be insensitive but you have to get real about your customer,” he said.
A $110 million CSIRO funding cut over four years was announced by the Abbott government two years ago.
Scientists worldwide who use data supplied by the CSIRO to map the impact of climate change in the southern hemisphere have condemned the climate change research cutbacks.
“Mr Turnbull has a lot of explaining to do. He has cut off at the knees Australia’s climate research capability and had sacked many of Australia’s leading climate researchers,” Mr Dreyfus said.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the CSIRO staff who have been made redundant by these cuts.”
The CSIRO did not respond to a request for comment before publication about the restructure of its Aspendale operations.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 1 June 2016
