The ATSE statement said the budget "falls short" of supporting Australia's technological ambitions, and exposes the country to skilled worker shortages in the coming years.
"This budget does not represent a comprehensive and evidence-based investment to decarbonize, or develop the essential foundational skills required for the aspirational technology-forward economy the government has envisaged," said ATSE President Hugh Bradlow on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg reaffirmed the importance of the country's pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, but offered no new direct funding towards the goal.
The budget papers showed climate change mitigation spending would drop from 2 billion Australian dollars (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars) per year in 2022 to 1.3 billion (about 980 million U.S. dollars) by 2025.
Defending the budget on Wednesday, Frydenberg said that new investments into infrastructure, energy and the digital economy would pave the way to zero emissions.
"These new investments will help secure our pathway to net zero emissions by 2050 and respond to the critical global challenge of climate change," he said.
Bradlow said more funding would be needed into developing the technologies and the workforce to combat climate change, citing the fact that 100,000 more digital workers and 40,000 engineers would be needed by the middle of the decade.
"By 2023, digital technologies are estimated to contribute 65 billion Australian dollars (about 48.8 billion U.S. dollars) to our economy...This is an immediate need that is not being met by support for teachers, students, and the higher education sector."
He also pointed out that the 12 billion Australian dollars (about 9 billion U.S. dollars) set aside for road and infrastructure investment was a "missed opportunity" for the electrification of Australia's transport system.
Gail Broadbent, PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, said more investment would be needed to achieve net zero by 2050.
"The Australian government has promised it will deliver net-zero emissions by 2050 for the road transport sector...Our recent research has demonstrated that promise could not be achieved by 2050," said Broadbent.
"Transport affects every aspect of our lives, and we need an efficient transport system that is self-reliant."
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