Overview
- CSIRO confirmed on Thursday that 92 roles in its Environment Research Unit will be made redundant and staff were informed in nationwide town halls.
- The final cutback was reduced from an initial proposal of 102 roles after consultation with staff and stakeholders.
- About five of the 15 specialised climate modellers who work on the national ACCESS modelling system are understood to be among those losing jobs, prompting warnings the model’s capability could be degraded.
- CSIRO says it will shift its research toward practical adaptation and resilience work and will keep core climate science functions to support decision-making.
- The announcement follows more than 800 CSIRO job losses over recent years and comes with a $387.4 million budget boost that peak bodies say does not guarantee replacement of specialised modelling or protect Australia and Pacific neighbours from reduced forecasting and planning tools.