ACT Independent Senator David Pocock has welcomed the announcement by Treasurer Jim Chalmers today of an additional $233 million investment in the CSIRO in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).
Senator Pocock said this was a good first step from the Albanese Government but more was needed to ensure the CSIRO’s long-term sustainability.
More than 20,000 people have signed Senator Pocock’s petition supporting the CSIRO, which called for both an urgent investment in MYEFO and long-term, sustainable funding that rebuilds our national science capability.
“People power works and I thank everyone in the community who rallied behind the CSIRO and put pressure on the Federal Government to step in with an additional investment in our national science agency,” Senator Pocock said.
“This $233 million one-off investment, while very welcome, is only for 12 months and needs to be supplemented by a longer-term commitment to rebuilding our sovereign national science and research capability.
“We need to get the CSIRO into a position where it can rule out further job cuts.
“Now is a time for Australia to be training, attracting and retaining the best scientific minds to deal with our biggest challenges and ensuring they have the research infrastructure to enable this work.
“The Federal Government now has the final report of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development Review. I look forward to them releasing it and responding to its recommendations ahead of the federal budget in May.”