Media statement

The changes included the temporary suspension of external recruitment and contract renewals except in exceptional circumstances which will be considered on a case by case basis.

Dr Clark provided an update to staff today about the changes, including the following details:

“The figure quoted in the media today of 1500 staff under uncertainty is incorrect,” Dr Clark said.

“There are approximately 300 non-casual contracted staff whose terms finish in the 2013-14 financial year. In normal circumstances, a proportion of these terms are not renewed in any given year however we recognise that this temporary suspension will result in a higher than usual number of non-renewals.

“Regarding casual staff, CSIRO recruits casual staff primarily for seasonal work or for covering absences of administrative support staff – which provides employment opportunities for people who prefer this mode of employment or who may not be able to commit to full-time employment. In this financial year, we have around 150 casual staff whose contracts are due for renewal.

“I want to remind everyone that, with approval, we can still renew contracts and recruit to positions that are critical for our work.

“We will not be compromising on our commitments to industry or other key stakeholders through these changes. This approach will allow CSIRO to continue to deliver our outstanding work with industry and the community – work that has led to some of the country’s most valuable discoveries and inventions, such as Wi-Fi and the Hendra virus vaccine.

“In order to maintain longer term capability, we will continue targeted recruitment programs for our Indigenous employment and Post-Doctoral Fellows. We have around 50 positions currently open for recruitment, which are primarily for Post-Doctoral Fellows.”