The mood in parts of Australia’s national scientific agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), is low after a mystery number of AI, robotics and data researchers were quietly let go within the last year. Since the agency announced it was “reshaping its research portfolio” to deal with an imminent funding cliff in 2024, speculation about whose jobs are on the line has spread.
Hundreds of roles in the health and biosecurity teams, including administrative support roles, have already been cut. Within the agriculture and food research unit, hundreds more jobs hang in the balance. Now the data research unit, Data61 – responsible for advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing – is next to be put under scrutiny. According to the Community and Public Sector Union, about 100 colleagues have left Data61 in the last year.
CSIRO’s chief executive, Doug Hilton, told Senate estimates last year that no job cuts were planned for the data research team. But the union says more than 100 full-time research roles on two- or three-year contracts were not renewed nor replaced, representing about 20% of the unit’s workforce. Union spokesperson Susan Tonks said management had “deliberately and systematically” chopped the roles behind closed doors to avoid scrutiny. “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,” she said.
CSIRO’s funding cliff had been on the horizon since a $454m budget injection from 2020 was due to end in 2023-24. The 2024 federal budget gave CSIRO $916.5m for 2024-25, a $92m decrease. As a result, CSIRO looked to make savings in all areas, including reducing its property portfolio and limiting staff travel. Between 375 and 500 support roles – administration, finance and legal – were identified to be cut.
One Data61 researcher said the past 18 months had been their most uncertain at the agency. Another noted that many contracted researchers were not offered permanent roles when their multi-year contracts expired. In response to questions, a CSIRO spokesperson said: “CSIRO is reshaping its research portfolio to ensure we are focused on delivering the science Australia needs now and into the future.”
