Albanese Govt Boosts CSIRO by $387.4m Amid 1978 Funding Low

Context Months of public campaigning by scientists and staff preceded the announcement, after CSIRO announced hundreds of job cuts and cost‑saving measures. Senator David Pocock’s petition, signed by tens of thousands, urged a Senate inquiry into the agency’s resourcing, warning that continued underinvestment risks hollowing out public science. The finance minister said the new funds would give CSIRO greater stability to maintain critical infrastructure and workforce levels.

Key Facts The government’s package adds $387.4 million over the next four years, which works out to roughly $96.85 million per year on top of CSIRO’s current $1 billion annual budget. A parliamentary library analysis, using Treasury budget papers and Australian Bureau of Statistics GDP data, calculated CSIRO’s funding as a share of national GDP and found it had fallen to its lowest level since 1978. Senator Pocock noted that the extra money reflects “huge and effective advocacy” but stressed that further investment is still needed, proposing a 25 % tax on gas exports as a potential revenue source.

What It Means The additional funding is intended to cover long‑term operating costs for CSIRO’s research facilities and technology upgrades, though it is not expected to reverse the recent job cuts outright. Officials say the money should help avoid further reductions and allow the agency to continue delivering science that addresses climate, health and industrial challenges. Pocock’s call for a gas export tax remains on the table, linking future science investment to energy‑policy debates.

Watch for the Senate inquiry’s findings and any government response to the proposed gas export tax, which could shape the trajectory of Australia’s public science funding over the next decade.