The job cuts at the CSIRO

are cause for alarm. For those of you in Upover and Elsewhere the CSIRO is the  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is a government agency here. It is responsible for scientific research with a focus on commercial and industrial applications. The CSIRO works with similar places around the world - or should do.

Some of the things they have successfully developed include things like the Hendra virus vaccine for horses and biological controls for pests like myxomatosis and calicivirus. They continue to work on things like reducing damage done by rust in wheat crops and increasing the nutritional content of barley. 

Their work on Wi-Fi technology, plastics (including the first successful polymer bank notes), ceramics for the space industry and much more have all had international benefit. In summer many people bless the insect repellent Aerogard developed by the CSIRO.

Like any big research organisation they have also had their failures and other research facilities have beaten them to solutions. Our geographical location has been a hindrance in the past and continues to be now, although to a lesser extent than before.  

 It is going to get more difficult as they cut another three hundred and fifty staff. That the cuts are coming from health, from biosecurity, from agriculture and food production and from environmental research is alarming. Add the aging buildings and sometimes equipment in many places and there is a problem.

We cannot expect the rest of the world to do the research for us and then simply use it. We need to be doing our own and sharing it. There is something very wrong with a government which can even consider going to the enormous expense of hosting a climate talk-fest here but not adequately funding the research needed.