Australia is at risk of becoming a scientific backwater due to the federal government’s budget cuts to the CSIRO.
The government has proposed a $111 million cut to CSIRO funding in the May budget — about 20% of its total funding — and at least 1000 full-time staff will lose their jobs over the next four years.
Eight CSIRO sites around the country will close. Many are in regional country towns, which rely on the sites for employment.