AUKUS prompts razor gang cuts to science and health

Written by: Nick G. on 20 November 2025

 

The Albanese government has been forced to announce electorally unpopular funding cuts to areas including science and health as it struggles to allocate resources to support commitments to fund AUKUS and related arms acquisitions.

AUKUS is estimated to require $368 billion over 30 years.  Broken down into a daily average that is just more than $30 million per day for 30 years.

That is a huge weight around the neck of Finance and Treasury, and forward planning must focus on an ability to pay that amount – and whatever other costs come from the inevitable delays and cost blowouts.

Labor’s dilemma

Despite the overwhelming support for Labor at the last federal election, it is aware of populist far-right parties running on issues like anti-immigration and sweeping to power around the world.

It must try to buttress its electoral support at the same time that it serves US imperialism’s quite open preparations for war with China.

To try and meet social expectations, it has announced measures such as reductions in student loan repayments, a tax cut to meet cost-of-living pressures (but provided to all taxpayers regardless of personal wealth or need), and an increase in food relief and financial wellbeing support to help ease cost-of-living pressures for half a million Australians.

In the case of the latter, over 300 organisations across every state and territory will receive a share of more than $460 million in funding over five years. That is, around $90 million per year, or three days’ worth of averaged AUKUS payments.

The cuts

The two recently announced cuts are to the CSIRO and a requirement that States and Territories cut the costs of running their hospitals.

The CSIRO is a publicly-funded and government-owned major research facility. Unlike private corporations, it should be capable of funding socially useful but not immediately profitable areas of research.

Up to 350 CSIRO researchers will be sacked under the new cuts. This is the latest in a series of cuts over the past 18 months. It started with the cutting of more than 400 science support roles, and more recently, 120 positions from CSIRO’s digital and data arm, Data61, were cut; the Agriculture and Food Research Unit has lost 30 staff, and Health and Biosecurity has lost 43.

Previously, the Abbott government cut approximately $111 million from the CSIRO over four years. This was around 10-12% of its funding. Around 700 jobs were cut across science, research, and support roles. The major areas affected were climate science, marine and atmospheric testing and environmental monitoring programs.  

Abbott’s cuts, delivered in the 2014-15 Budget, were strongly opposed, with thousands taking part in March for Science rallies. As a Spirit of Eureka leaflet distributed at these rallies pointed out: “…the attack on science throughout the Western world is continuing unabated. Massive political interference is rife against scientists and science whose conclusions might reduce multinationals’ profits.”

Ten years later, and Albanese is the vehicle by which the “unabated” attack on science is being driven. 

The situation with health is a consequence of the compromise reached at the time of Federation between the separate British colonies and the proponents of a national government.  The colonies surrendered various powers such as the right to raise their own armies, but clung to important areas such as health and education which were excluded from areas under the control of the federal government. 

The federal government has agreed to provide funding to health and education, but with strings attached. Hence the latest announcement by the Albanese government is that if the States and Territories want a public hospital federal funding commitment implemented, they must slash growth in hospital spending. 

“A growing population that is aging, sicker will need more spent on health not less”, said Dr Margie Beavis, a former GP who spoke on behalf of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network.
 
“The federal budget is not a magic pudding. We urgently need an independent review of the unrealistic and wasteful AUKUS scheme, rather than further stripping of the health care system,” said Dr Beavis.

Unite to oppose the Albanese razor gang

There is a growing dissatisfaction with the direction of Labor government policy on a number of fronts.

Within the Labor Party, activists are organising and new organisations are emerging outside of the ALP.

There is room for considerable unity here, even though we do not wish to see people’s movements diverted into the quicksand of parliament. 

It is time to put sectarianism and the seeking of parliamentary careers aside, and seek to build unity in our workplaces, communities, and in the streets with rallies and demonstrations.

Undoubtedly, there will be more cuts as further AUKUS payments loom.

Our answer is to fight for anti-imperialist independence and socialism.

 

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