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McGauran attacks CSIRO on climate change

Story Added : 16th March 2010

A Liberal Senator has accused the Federal Government of turning the CSIRO into a political puppet on the issue of climate change.

Victorian Senator Julian McGauran made the comments following the release of a CSIRO report which concluded that climate change is affecting Australia and humans are contributing to it.

Senator McGauran says the organisation has been stripped of its independence and is doing the bidding of the Minister for Science, Kim Carr.

"Minister Carr without doubt has wandered through the CSIRO offices, intimidating the scientists and the executive to do as they're told," he said.

"This is now a political organisation. The executive have become compliant to the minister, utterly."

Mr Carr says he is outraged at the suggestion he has interfered with the CSIRO.

"There's a group of people operating in the Senate that seem to be at the very edge of political credibility," he said.

"They are extremists. They don't seem to appreciate the damage they do to Australia's reputation by seeking to undermine our great scientific institutions.

"It is an attack not just on science, it is also an attack on reason itself."

Mr Carr says Senator McGauran would say anything to avoid action on climate change.

Meanwhile, Michael Borgas, from the CSIRO Staff Association, has rejected claims his organisation has been compromised.

"We all operate as independent scientists with high integrity," he said.

Story Added by ABC.
Date Added : 16th March 2010

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