Labor accused of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ for axing $760m research program to fund other science measures

Researchers say budget decision to cut commercialisation program to fund the CSIRO and other science initiatives undermines the government’s own priorities Explore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverage Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The federal government has been accused of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” over the budget axing of a $760m research commercialisation program in order to fund other science initiatives. The budget includes a $387.4m boost to “support the financial sustainability” of the beleaguered national science agency CSIRO, as well as $273m for the National Measurement Institute. But the government plans to pay for these measures by “returning uncommitted funding from the Australia’s Economic Accelerator program, which is expected to decrease payments by $759.9m over the five years to 2029–30”. The axing of the program, which was established in 2023 to “support the translation of research into real‑world economic and social benefits”, has angered researchers who say the decision undermines the government’s own priorities. In a statement on the AEA website, it said funding for new projects “will not c