CSIRO cuts 92 jobs in its largest research unit

Layoffs in the national science agency will have a critical impact on national security, impacting roles in its Environment Research Unit, a Greens senator has warned.

Following consultation feedback, the national science agency will cut 92 FTE roles in its biggest research unit, the Environmental Research Unit.

“CSIRO is making essential strategic research shifts to focus its efforts on where we can deliver the greatest national impact,” CSIRO said in a statement provided to HR Leader.

“To achieve this sharpened focus, we are exiting research where we lack scale to achieve significant impact, or areas where others in the sector are better placed to deliver.”

Currently, the Environmental Research Unit is one of CSIRO’s largest research units. “The changes reinforce our unique capabilities and national leadership in freshwater, marine, climate and adaptation science, circularity and social sciences,” the agency said.

In November 2025, CSIRO announced proposed layoffs of 300 to 350 full-time equivalent roles, after the national science agency cited “long-term financial sustainability challenges”.

This led to a Senate inquiry launched by the Greens, Funding and Resourcing for the CSIRO, which released a report in April aimed at determining whether the agency’s current resourcing arrangements are “sufficient to maintain Australia’s sovereign scientific capability and address increasingly complex national challenges”.

“There are significant concerns that CSIRO’s funding, when measured in real terms, has not kept pace with the requirements of a modern, effective national science agency,” the report said.

Greens spokesperson for science, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, said: “Scientists have made a dire warning that Labor’s cuts to the CSIRO mean Australia will no longer be able to submit climate projections to form part of global reports – including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).”

Whish-Wilson emphasised that these projections are crucial for governments to manage critical risks, including national security. “Losing them will significantly reduce Australia’s sovereign capability to protect the country’s interests,” he said.

CSIRO said: “Valuable information and feedback via consultation provided added clarity and more detail regarding future focus areas, retention of skills that align to research priorities, and better understanding and use of some critical capability and skills.”

Carlos Tse

Carlos Tse is a graduate journalist writing for Accountants Daily, HR Leader, Lawyers Weekly.

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