Prime Minister Tony Abbott with Professor Ricky Johnstone, on a visit to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Photo: Eddie Jim
Federal government cuts to research funding are more extensive that has been admitted with $6 billion in combined cuts to higher education and preventative health programs also to be taken into account, Labor claims.
It says the impact of lower funding could slow or stop vital research on infectious diseases such as the deadly Ebola virus.
Other efforts that Labor says will be affected are the fights against bowel or colourectal cancer, which could stop completely. These had been under way at the CSIRO.
An assessment by the opposition obtained by Fairfax Media suggests the actual value of the saving to government will be $6.1 billion, with nearly $5 billion of that coming from cuts to higher education, which Labor says will “indirectly impact on research”.