Moves to cut climate science research jobs at the CSIRO have cost taxpayers almost $3 million, despite an about face by the Turnbull government.
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Information provided to a Senate committee this month showed 29 redundancies from the science and research body's climate science programs cost $2.88 million, including all benefits and notice period payments to the sacked workers.
The cuts, first planned in February 2016, prompted widespread condemnation and raised fears that Australia was undermining global efforts to monitor and predict the impact of climate change.
CSIRO management originally planned to cut 100 climate scientist jobs, but backed down a public outcry and reduced the planned job losses to 70 positions.
Originally 74 jobs were expected to be lost from the oceans and atmospheres division, but that number was revised down to 54 through staff reassignments and other mitigation efforts by management.
The job cuts flow from the CSIRO's shortlived restructuring of its scientific priorities, which included a move away from long-term climate research.
More than 300 people were made redundant across the organisation as part of the plan.
But in August last year then science minister Greg Hunt ordered an U-turn, putting CSIRO focus back on climate science after taking over from former minister Christopher Pyne.
A new strategy included funding for 15 new climate science jobs and research investment worth $37 million over 10 years.
The government increased CSIRO's agency-wide budget from $1.35 billion to $1.47 billion by 2019-20, with the new $37 million to be be drawn from those funds.
An independent Ernst & Young report commissioned by the CSIRO showed that communication and change management within the organisation in 2016 had been rushed. Staff were not provided the opportunity to engage with, and provide feedback on the potential decisions until too late in the process, the report said.
In March, Fairfax Media reported every member of CSIRO's senior executive team received performance-related bonuses last year despite 2016 being one of the most tumultuous in the organisation's history.
CSIRO boss Larry Marshall's take home pay was $845,508, including a bonus of up to 30 per cent of his annual salary.
The organisation's total staff numbers as of May 31, 2017 were 5686, including permanent, casual and contractor employees.
Greens senator Janet Rice challenged Mr Marshall over the cuts in May, describing the changes as "turmoil" for the CSIRO and Australia's scientific community.
"These redundancies underline the mismanagement of climate science at CSIRO, under the inept management of Larry Marshall.
"What a waste of money and talent - 54 positions were made redundant, yet CSIRO is now hiring climate scientists again," she said.
"This whole schmozzle has cost CSIRO dearly and undermined staff morale while $3 million could have paid for 15 climate scientists for a year."
The committee was told the organisation's footprint in Tasmania had dropped from 320 at the end of June 2016 to 309 a year later.
The CSIRO also reported receiving more than $4.4 million in royalties from published Penguin Books for its six Total Wellbeing Diet recipe book titles.
