Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In rising to speak on this urgency motion here today, I think it's important that we frame up what this debate is all about. The reality is we have been told of a number of job cuts that will be impacting the CSIRO, and, rightly, Australia's science community—and indeed, I think, the Australian community more broadly—are concerned about the impact that these job cuts could potentially have on our national research capabilities. They are also concerned about where these job cuts might be happening and what areas of research we're not going to be able to focus on quite as strongly if these job cuts take place.

One of the reasons we're having this conversation here today is that Australians need to know the answers to those questions. But, regrettably, we've just had a five-minute contribution from the Minister for Science here in this chamber where he talked about his commitment to the CSIRO—and I don't doubt that that is a genuine commitment on the part of Senator Ayres—but provided no clarity to Australians on exactly where these job cuts will be coming from and exactly what impact that is going to have on Australia's ability to tackle the scientific challenges that we see coming into the future.

For more than a century, the CSIRO has been the backbone of Australian innovation. It's not just a research organisation; it's the engine room of ideas that have helped shape our nation and, in some cases, the modern world. We know that the CSIRO is responsible for wi-fi, polymer banknotes, Aerogard and advances in agriculture and climate science. All of these initiatives came from the CSIRO. And they are more than just clever ideas; they are the technologies that Australians use every day and that the world relies on.

But we know that under this government there have been a significant number of job cuts from the CSIRO. In the last 18 months, the organisation lost more than 1,000 jobs—818 of those since mid-2024—and now, as I said, we've heard from the government that another 300 to 350 research roles will be cut in the future, as announced this month. These are more than just numbers. They represent expertise in marine science, biosecurity, crop protection, mineral resources—areas critical to our national sovereignty and our food security. The fact of the matter is that the government is not being upfront about where these cuts are going to come from. It would be very easy for them to come clean with Australians and explain where the cuts are going to come from. I think if they could do that, and clearly demonstrate how CSIRO is going to be able to still deliver on its priorities, then perhaps there wouldn't be quite the level of consternation there currently is within the broader community. But, again, we had a five-minute contribution from the minister for science in here this afternoon where he failed to do that.

I've looked through the areas that have been talked about for potential job cuts and I've looked at the geographical parts of this country where that important research is done. Cuts to the environment could mean up to 150 jobs gone. It could mean cutting Hobart's marine hub and the Aspendale climate centre. Health and biosecurity could mean around 110 roles could be lost here. Boggo Road and Waite Campus could be stripped of disease prevention and biosecurity expertise right when global health threats are rising. Agriculture and food could see up to 55 job cuts in this area—again, losing skills in resilience and food innovation—risking our own productivity and our own food security. Mineral resources could have up to 35 jobs gone. Perth and Brisbane would be likely to lose critical mineral processing and engineering talent, which is vital for clean energy and supply chains, and I know these talents are so important to the local industries in those areas.

I'm not trying to scaremonger here. If I'm wrong about these job cuts—these are just a few numbers that I've put down on a bit of paper based on publicly available information—then I would love for the minister to tell me so. I would love for the minister to come into this chamber and tell the Australian public the exact nature of these cuts so that we can understand them more fulsomely. These cuts don't just hit the CSIRO; they hit families, local jobs, regional economies and Australia's sovereign capability.