Aspendale has been left out of todays announcement for a National Climate Research Centre.
The Hon Mark Dreyfus QC MP
Shadow Attorney General
Shadow Minister for the Arts
Federal Member for Isaacs
TURNBULLS POLITICAL FIX IGNORES ASPENDALE
Aspendale has been left out of todays announcement for a National Climate Research Centre.
The announcement, which will see the government cut 75 climate change scientists from the CSIRO and replace these cuts with 40 staff at the Hobart-based centre, does almost nothing to reverse expected job losses at the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Centre in Aspendale. With approximately 100 people working at Aspendale at present, the centre would still be gutted as a result of todays announcement.
This is a political fix by the Turnbull Government to protect marginal seats in Tasmania, Federal Member for Isaacs, Mark Dreyfus said.
After months of campaigning by Labor for Mr Turnbull to reverse these cuts to CSIRO jobs, he has barely reduced the job losses from 350 to 275. Of the 75 climate researchers now expected to lose their jobs, many of these will be from the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Centre in Aspendale.
This is too little, too late, a last ditch attempt to save the Liberals political skin in Tasmania, with next to nothing for Aspendale or Melbournes South-East, Mr Dreyfus said.
Make no mistake, this announcement is a marginal seats strategy, not a science strategy. It will do next to nothing to save jobs in Aspendale and it is still a cut of 275 jobs from Australias premier science institution.
If Mr Turnbull truly believes in innovation, he will reverse all of his cuts to the CSIRO and guarantee jobs at the Research Centre in Aspendale, Mr Dreyfus said.
I call on Mr Turnbull and Environment Minister Greg Hunt to guarantee this is not a backhanded way to close the Aspendale site and sell off the valuable land to a real estate developer. That is not what the people of Isaacs want.
It is not too late to stop these cuts. Science Minister Christopher Pyne can direct CSIRO management to halt its plans entirely. But it is clear this government has its priorities all wrong, and politics will likely continue to trump science.
TUESDAY, 26 APRIL 2016
