Sydney scientists joined hundreds across Australia for a national day of protests against recent federal budget cuts which may result in hundreds of job cuts, site closures and cuts to whole areas in research.
“Australia’s future is being eroded. This country needs science, it needs education and it needs health to have a future,” NSW Councillor for CSIRO Staff Association, Peter Saunders said.
“Cutting science is cutting our innovation, it’s cutting our future development…this country needs that development to succeed.”
Donned with picket signs and lab coats, employees marched at noon to the centre of the CSIRO Sydney headquarters in order to “innovate not obliterate” scientific studies, which have contributed to a large number of scientific and technological advances both nationally and internationally.
Over $100 million in funding has been cut from the organisation, sparking speculation that over 700 jobs could be lost.
“We want to send a message to the government to say that enough is enough, the cuts have been deep enough already, we want a good future for this country, so please back off,” says Mr Saunders.
The news has left employees determined to make a change in federal policy in regards to important scientific research.
Dr Martin Bell of the Astronomy and Space science sector says he hopes the protest will help change the minds of government policymakers.
“Astronomy and science has had a long history in Australia of doing radioastronomy, providing cutting edge research such as Wi-Fi and research in those areas and I think the cuts are short sighted and I think that it could be detrimental to ingenuity.”
Staff Association Acting Secretary, Dr Michael Borgas, says forecasts for future employment rest on unsteady ground.
“The CSIRO faces a cut of 700 staff in the coming year of 2014-15. This number of 700 is made up of 420 jobs lost to direct government cuts and 280 jobs gone as a result of the organisational restructure and cuts to important support functions.”
An estimated 19 per cent of CSIRO’S workforce is said to be removed over the period of two years.
