Australia backtracks on climate science research cuts
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, a well-regarded independent climate-research agency, will now lose just 20 climate science positions, as opposed to the originally proposed 96. It has been confirmed that 35 scientists will lose their jobs, but that 15 new appointments will be made. However, no additional funds will be available to cover the costs of these hires. The losses, which caused a public outcry, were originally announced in February, as a result of government cuts to environmental research funding.

Only 20 climate science positions will be lost from the CSIRO, down from an initial 96, after the Turnbull government intervened, issuing a ministerial directive to the independent agency.

Guardian Australia understands 35 climate scientist will still be sacked, but there will be 15 new hires. It is also understood there is no new money for the appointments, but must come from existing CSIRO funding.



The cuts were first announced by the CSIRO in February this year. The decision was made by the CSIRO, which acts independently from government, but were a result of cuts the government made to environmental research funding.

Greg Hunt, who replaced Christopher Pyne as minister for science and innovation in July, said on Thursday there would be 15 new climate science jobs and $37m invested in climate science research over 10 years. First reported in Fairfax Media on Thursday, Hunt said he made the changes by issuing a ministerial directive to the CSIRO.

When the CSIRO first decided to make the cuts, the plan was to cut about 100 climate scientists. After a public outcry, the numbers were quickly reduced to just 70, and by April the number had reduced to about 35 jobs.

Speaking on ABC’s AM program, Hunt said the move indicated a new government with a new focus. “It’s a decision that the prime minister and myself have taken. It’s a new government and we’re laying out a direction that climate science matters,” he said.

When the cuts were announced, then Labor opposition spokesmen for science and industry Kim Carr called on the government to intervene to reverse the cuts. At the time Pyne responded that the CSIRO was an independent agency, indicating it wasn’t appropriate for the government to intervene.

Asked whether the this week’s ministerial directive to focus on climate science impinged on the CSIRO’s independence, CSIRO climate scientist John Church said on ABC RN that he had “mixed feelings about that”.

“Yes CSIRO does need to be independent. They need to be able to make decisions about the long-term future needs of Australia, but that has to be a broad view of Australia’s needs.”

Will Steffen from the Climate Council said he agreed the CSIRO needed to be independent, but this was an exceptional circumstance.

“I think there are cases where some really drastically bad decisions are made, where government I think, on behalf of the public and the public good does have the authority and the right to intervene,” Steffen said.

Steffen said how significant the decision was depended on the details about exactly which jobs would be saved.

Church, a world-renowned sea-level rise researcher, said regardless of where the funding went, he would probably leave the organisation following what had been a very stressful time.