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Labor accused of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ for axing $760m research program to fund other science measures
TL;DR
The Australian government has cut a $760m research commercialization program to fund other science initiatives, leading to accusations of misallocation. This decision has sparked anger among researchers who feel it undermines the government's stated priorities.
Key points
- Australian government cuts $760m research program
- Funding redirected to CSIRO and National Measurement Institute
- Accusations of misallocation of resources
- Researchers express anger over the decision
- Funding for new projects will end after 2025–26
Mentioned in this story
CSIROAustralia’s Economic Accelerator
The federal government has been accused of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” over the budget axing of a $760m research commercialisation program in order to fund other science initiatives.
The budget includes a $387.4m boost to “support the financial sustainability” of the beleaguered national science agency CSIRO, as well as $273m for the National Measurement Institute.
But the government plans to pay for these measures by “returning uncommitted funding from the Australia’s Economic Accelerator program, which is expected to decrease payments by $759.9m over the five years to 2029–30”.
The axing of the program, which was established in 2023 to “support the translation of research into real‑world economic and social benefits”, has angered researchers who say the decision undermines the government’s own priorities.
In a statement on the AEA website, it said funding for new projects “will not continue beyond the 2025–26 financial year”, with current grants unchanged.
Prof Melanie Davern, director of the Australian Urban Observatory at RMIT University, learned on Monday that she had wasted months preparing an AEA grant proposal for a funding round that closed in March.
Davern expressed frustration at the axing of program funding “applied research that would have major social, economic, environmental benefits”.
“There is nothing [else] available that will support this,” she said.
Davern’s proposal, relating to AI in urban planning, involved a business case and four industry partners, including an ASX-listed developer. “It took us at least three months, if not more time, to prepare this,” she said. “I still haven’t actually been notified officially by the government [about the AEA’s axing].”
At Davern’s university alone there were about 85 applications in the same round, and she pointed to the time and effort wasted by researchers and university staff across Australia.
“The big problem here is that there is not enough investment going in,” she said. “Obviously, yes, CSIRO needs support. But this is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Investment in research and development (R&D) in Australia as a proportion of GDP is about 1.7%, well below the OECD average of 2.7%.
Q&A
Why did the Australian government cut the $760m research program?
The government cut the program to fund other science initiatives, including a $387.4m boost for CSIRO and $273m for the National Measurement Institute.
What is the Australia’s Economic Accelerator program?
The Australia’s Economic Accelerator program was established in 2023 to support the translation of research into real-world economic and social benefits.
How will the funding cuts affect researchers in Australia?
Researchers are concerned that the cuts will undermine the government's priorities and limit funding for new projects beyond the 2025–26 financial year.
What are the implications of the funding cuts for CSIRO?
The funding cuts are intended to provide a financial boost to CSIRO, but critics argue that they compromise long-term research support.
