Government answers SOS call for funds
The annual budget of Australia’s world-leading marine science agency will be doubled for the next four years, with the federal government confirming the funding boost amid concerns 100 jobs were set to be lost.
It was revealed last week the facilities at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, headquartered south of Townsville, was in such bad shape its offices were riddled with mould in the carpets, ceilings, and its airconditioning ducts were rotting.
Its 1970s-era science labs were also no longer fit for purpose, putting at risk the agency’s ability to meet the government’s mandate to provide leading scientific advice.
One of its smaller research vessels, the now 18-year-old RV Apollo, has also hit its useby date and maintenance costs are rising.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek confirmed an extra $163.4m would be pumped into AIMS over the next four years on top of its annual federal funding — which has so far hovered between $44m and $47m since 2017-18.
Ms Plibersek travelled to Townsville on Wednesday to reveal the funding would be included in the federal government’s upcoming May budget.
There had been warnings a third of AIMS’ 300-strong workforce — most of whom are located in regional Northern Australia — would need to be axed and operations downsized if federal funding wasn’t secured.
It’s understood the extra cash promised will help create an extra 100 jobs and make 66 existing jobs permanent.
The cash will go toward refurbishing AIMS’ Townsville headquarters, including repairing parts of the building which are currently uninhabitable due to mould growth and replacing decaying airconditioning units.
According to the government, recent increases in the frequency and duration of severe weather events had led to the site being isolated electrically and with science experiments needing “constant and reliable supply” of power it had become clear upgrades were needed.
The RV Apollo research vessel will also be replaced.
A management office to oversee the infrastructure program will be set up in Townsville.
AIMS chief executive Paul Hardisty said the funding increase, the “first in 10 years”, would enable the agency to continue its science and research activities and maintain Australia’s position as a “world leader in marine science”.
Ms Plibersek said AIMS was “too important to abandon”.
“This investment will protect jobs in North Queensland, support vital ocean research, and protect the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.
The federal Coalition government in its final budget in March last year, injected an extra $63.6m into AIMS to be spread over five years, including $22.8m to remediate its wharf at Cape Cleveland and $5.3m for design work to replace major research vessel RV Cape Ferguson.
Once the funding tapered off in mid-2024, AIMS would have received an extra $1.5m a year.
As an island nation, Australia is blessed with some of the most beautiful marine environments on earth. We’ve got it all: stunning beaches, magnificent surf breaks, remote islands, coral reefs that glow like magic, and a whole universe of sea creatures found nowhere else on the planet.
Australians love these special places. We want to see them safe and protected. Which is why we employ the best marine scientists in the world to monitor and support them.
This work is led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, based out of Townsville. The quality of the Institute’s research should be a source of national pride. And the 300 jobs it creates in regional Australia should make it a natural government priority.
Unfortunately, the Morrison government refused treat it like one. Because of Liberal and National neglect over a decade, staff have been forced to work in increasingly unsafe conditions, with mould growing under carpet and on the roof. Their facilities are badly out of date, relying on equipment that can no longer perform modern science.
These experts study climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. They help revive patches of coral reef that were previously dying. They monitor changes in water quality and the growing problem of marine plastics. And they protect endangered sea life, like turtles and dugongs.
This is essential work. But when the Liberal and National parties left office, they refused to guarantee the Institute ongoing funding, putting more than 100 jobs at risk.
This is the situation I inherited as Minister for the Environment and Water. With decaying facilities, an approaching funding cliff, and with a devastating number of regional jobs at risk.
Which is why the federal Labor Government is stepping in to save these jobs and secure the future of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. We’re investing $163.4 million in the May Budget, to create over 100 new jobs, to refurbish the Townsville headquarters, and to fund new equipment, including a replacement research vessel.
Our government will always back in Australian scientists. We will always listen to experts, value their knowledge, and promote their research. Because that’s how we make better decisions. And that’s how we build a stronger, smarter, more resilient economy.
Of course, there is no shortage of challenges that require the expertise of our marine scientists.
We need to reduce the terrible stream of plastics that are filling up our waters. We need to understand the devastating marine heatwaves that are hitting our oceans. We need to use our marine environments to absorb carbon dioxide and fight against climate change.
And we need to protect our special places, particularly the Great Barrier Reef. Supporting Australian marine scientists is one element of our efforts to protect this natural wonder of the world, on top of the $1.2 billion we invested last budget.
Marine scientists do their work out in the elements, living on boats for weeks at a time, diving into the depths of the sea, and coming back up with vital intelligence about our oceans.
Like our government, they want to protect more of what’s precious, restore more of what’s damaged, and better manage nature for our kids and grandkids. And that’s why we are supporting them with the resources they need, so they can help preserve our marine environments for generations to come.