The mood within Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has turned ominous as a series of job cuts in the AI, robotics, and data research sectors have left many employees wondering who might be next. This comes after the agency announced a strategic reshaping of its research portfolio to address an anticipated funding shortfall in 2024.
Since the announcement, speculation has been rampant regarding potential job losses. Hundreds of positions in the health and biosecurity teams, along with supporting roles in finance, business, and legal sectors, have already been eliminated. Within the agriculture and food research unit, additional jobs remain at risk.
Data Research Under Scrutiny
Despite being identified as a key investment area for Australia, CSIRO’s data research unit, known for its work in artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing, is now under intense scrutiny. According to the Community and Public Sector Union, approximately 100 staff members from Data61, the agency’s AI and data innovation unit, have departed over the past year.
CSIRO’s chief executive, Doug Hilton, previously assured a Senate estimates hearing that no job cuts were planned for the data research team and that research capacity would remain intact through 2024-25. However, the union contends that over 100 full-time research positions on temporary contracts were neither renewed nor replaced, effectively reducing the workforce by 20%.
“These cuts by stealth, made without transparency and with the union shut out of the process, are now being used to justify even more job losses,” said Susan Tonks, the union’s CSIRO spokesperson.
Morale at Data61: From Light to Dark
Within Data61, the atmosphere has shifted dramatically. One researcher, who spoke anonymously, described the past 18 months as the most uncertain period they’ve experienced at the agency. The announcement of the reshaping plans left staff bracing for potential redundancies.
CSIRO’s looming funding cliff became a reality in early 2024. The agency’s chief operating officer, Tom Munyard, revealed that a $454 million allocation from the October 2020 budget was set to expire in 2023-24. Consequently, CSIRO’s 2024 federal budget allocation was reduced to $916.5 million, down from the previous year’s $1 billion.
To mitigate this financial strain, CSIRO has been forced to make cuts across various areas, including its property portfolio and staff travel. Between 375 and 500 support roles, encompassing administration, finance, and legal positions, have been identified for potential elimination.
“It went like from light to dark on a whim,” a long-serving Data61 researcher remarked, reflecting on the sudden shift in workplace morale.
Strategic Re-evaluation and Future Directions
In September, Hilton invited research units to a four-day workshop in Melbourne to identify areas for consolidation and focus. The workshop aimed to prioritize six key research areas: energy and minerals, food and fiber, nature, one health, tech economy, and from wonder to discovery.
However, some researchers remain skeptical about the agency’s strategic direction. “I’m just generally not very convinced by the narrative that there’s a core master plan going,” one researcher commented, expressing doubts about the coherence of CSIRO’s approach.
Independent ACT Senator David Pocock attributed the need for cost-cutting measures to budgetary constraints and rising costs in staff, research, IT, and cybersecurity. He criticized successive governments for underfunding research and the Albanese government for not addressing the funding cliff.
“The blame needs to sit at the feet of successive governments who have underfunded research, and the Albanese government who have known about the funding cliff CSIRO faces yet have not provided more funding,” Senator Pocock stated.
Meanwhile, Science Minister Tim Ayres emphasized that staffing and resource prioritization are internal matters for CSIRO, respecting its independence and work. “This is the right time for CSIRO to be making sure that its activities are focused directly on Australia’s national industrial and strategic research priorities,” he said.
As CSIRO navigates these challenges, the agency’s future remains uncertain, with staff and stakeholders closely watching for further developments.
