Politics Now Labor’s COP out on science
Nov 19, 2025
Australia faces significant job cuts at CSIRO, raising concerns about a potential science brain drain. The Science Minister claims commitment to research, but the reality seems contradictory. Discussions arise over the nation's bid to host the next UN climate conference, with doubts about the government's seriousness. Political tensions also unfold regarding opposition strength and Liberal leadership instability. As the hosts unravel these pressing issues, they highlight the importance of curiosity-driven research and the broader implications for Australia's future.
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CSIRO Funding Has Eroded Over Time
- Successive underfunding has eroded CSIRO's real budget and forced hundreds of job cuts over years.
- David Speers warns this shrinking funding risks losing future discoveries and industries born from curiosity-driven research.
Breakthroughs From Curious Research
- David Speers cites historical CSIRO breakthroughs like AeroGuard and Wi‑Fi to show unexpected results from curiosity-led science.
- He argues curiosity-driven projects produced global, everyday technologies we still rely on.
Prioritising Can Kill Serendipity
- Narrowing CSIRO to 'national priorities' risks losing exploratory research that creates unforeseen value.
- David Speers stresses we won't know what future industries are lost when researchers can't follow curiosity.