Lisa Singh

Minister Greg Hunt’s sudden decision to partially fund climate science at the CSIRO is a cynical attempt by the Turnbull Government to convince the public they are taking action on climate change.

It has been revealed that 15 new positions will be created, supported by $37 million of funding over ten years. This is simply not enough.

More than 30 scientists have lost their jobs already and over $220 million was stripped from CSIRO by the Abbott and Turnbull governments. This new promise does little to restore the CSIRO to its former position as a world leader in climate change research.

Regardless of what the Turnbull Government does now, many climate scientists have already left Australia due to a structural lack of support for their field. We need bold action to lure back our experts and encourage bright, young people to enter the field. 

Currently, our one major line of protection against the dangers posed by climate change is our comprehensive and rapidly evolving scientific knowledge - such as that provided by the CSIRO.

After trashing our standing as a leader in climate science, this half-baked attempt of a Ministerial Directive by Minister Hunt is simply not good enough. It brings into question why such a directive was not made at the time of the initial CSIRO cuts. Instead the Government claimed they could not get involved with CSIRO executive decisions.

Hobart has long been an international centre for of climate science, and by denying proper funding Minister Hunt is compromising Tasmania’s economic and social future.

For too long our climate scientists have been held ransom by the uncaring climate sceptics doing back-room deals within the Liberal party. Their research holds the key to our future and we must stand up and support them.

THURSDAY 4 AUGUST 2016