With the findings of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development suggesting a restructure of Australia’s research settings to follow national priorities, and the ‘Future made in Australia’ outlining key areas of STEM research, the CSIRO’s place in Australia’s research future is in flux.
CAPA believes that protecting postgraduate students during this review should be a chief priority of the Economics References Committee to ensure minimal disruption to postgraduate research projects. The CSIRO is a reputed provider of research training, providing supervision for over 1000 postgraduate students, over 600 of which are higher degree by research (HDR) candidates. We have covered extensively the role of HDR students in Australia’s research ecosystem in previous submissions made to the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) review, the Productivity Commission, and the NHRMRC National Strategy.
The support and supervision of the student is paramount to the successful completion of the HDR program, and, by extension, the candidate’s mental health and future research prospects. We recommend that transition funding be put in place to ensure no postgraduate students will be impacted by the CSIRO funding and job cuts. If funding is to be cut, programs supporting HDR candidates should be grandfathered to ensure their continued support for the duration of their programs.
When deciphering what role the CSIRO will play in Australia’s research future, significant thought should be given the role of HDR students. As previously mentioned, HDR students contribute the majority of research hours in Australia. As Australia’s premier research institute, CSIRO should continue to offer top-up scholarships to affiliated HDR students. These programs incentivise HDR students to participate in projects that are in the national public interest.
… The recent mass protests in Iran, which began on the 28th of December, have resulted in Iranian students facing increased wellbeing challenges. This was exacerbated when the government disabled all civilian telecommunications on January 8, and began using violent force against civilian protestors, resulting in the deaths of at least 12-20 thousand civilians (CBS News, 2026), 330,000 injured (Sunday Times, 2026). These massacres have been largely operationalised by the IRGC and its Basij Resistance Forces.
Our members report significant anxiety and fear of IRGC activities in Australia. Particularly, our members are concerned that their activities, whether in support or opposition to the Islamic Republic, are monitored and reported to the IRGC. As well, due to the internet blackout, they are unable to contact their loved ones, further impacting their wellbeing.
CAPA recommends that the committee takes whatever measures necessary which protect and support Iranian students in Australia from reprisal by the IRGC.
