The Government is deeply concerned about the potential implications to Tasmania of CSIRO’s restructure.
Both myself and the Premier have made contact with the Federal Minister, Christopher Pyne, and I have also written to Mr Pyne expressing our concerns.
While I am informed that this is an operational decision made by the CSIRO, it is our very strong view that this decision must not be made to the detriment of Tasmania.
Tasmania has a proud tradition of ground-breaking science and research discoveries and is rightly regarded as the country’s gateway to Antarctica.
The State Government is committed to enhancing Tasmania’s standing as the international Antarctic and Southern Ocean science and research hub. That’s why we have supported the $24 million Antarctic Gateway Partnership, which was announced late last year.
We have also made sure that the future development of Macquarie Point will include an Antarctic precinct, which has the potential to unlock millions of dollars of investment.
In addition, the Tasmanian Polar Network is working closely with the Chinese Polar Research Institute to expand cooperation on the provision of Tasmanian technical support for Chinese Antarctic expeditions.
There are abundant opportunities for Tasmania as an Antarctic gateway and a gateway for research more broadly.
The State Government is determined to capitalise on those opportunities and we will continue to push for the CSIRO to play a central role in this effort.