SENG is concerned at the proposed sacking of some three hundred scientists including around 100 from the Oceans and Atmosphere Division of CSIRO. These staffing cuts follow from a cut to CSIRO’s budget of $115M in 2014. We believe these cuts will seriously weaken Australia’s capability to analyse and respond to climate change in years and decades ahead. The unprecedented ‘East Coast Low’ weather event in early June which caused devastating flooding in NSW and Tasmania and the catastrophic coral bleaching of much of the Great Barrier Reef because of warming oceans, demonstrates the need for bolstering Australia’s scientific capability, not cutting it. SENG has worked with EA Policy and Media unit to send letters expressing our serious concern, to the CSIRO chief Larry Marshall (24 February) and Prime Minister Turnbull (3rd May 2016). The letters are available on our website.