Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to start by thanking the members for Indi, Deakin and Tangney for taking an interest in the Anglo-Australian Telescope, which on 1 July this year will become the Australian Astronomical Observatory by virtue of the two bills before the House today. Of course, this represents one of the most important pieces of scientific infrastructure that this country has.

In 2005 the governments of Australia and the United Kingdom agreed that on 1 July 2010 the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, which for 35 years has governed the Anglo-Australian Observatory, based at Siding Spring near Coonabarabran in New South Wales, would be disbanded and the facilities and staff would come under exclusive Australian control.

I start by thanking the UK government for its involvement in this long and productive partnership. Australian and British astronomers have enjoyed a significant scientific advantage in being able to work closely as collaborators using the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring. I would also like to acknowledge the vision and foresight of those British scientists and politicians who in the late 1960s recognised the potential for a world-class Southern Hemisphere observatory and for collaborating with their Australian colleagues. The results have been very rewarding.

The Australian Astronomical Observatory Bill 2009 and its companion, the Australian Astronomical Observatory (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2009, implement the 2005 treaty obligation and will ensure that the observatory continues to provide an excellent research environment for Australia’s world-class astronomy community for years to come. The government has also provided the observatory with significant new funding of $20.9 million over four years, as announced in the 2009-10 budget.

Australia is taking over a truly remarkable institution. The observatory is making a significant contribution to our understanding of dark energy, the formation of galaxies and the properties of planetary systems around other stars. The observatory is also one of the world’s top builders of astronomical instruments, a highly specialised field of technology. It has built instruments for leading telescopes around the world. The Anglo-Australian Telescope, the AAO’s primary, four-metre diameter telescope, has been judged the most productive instrument of its class in the world. Indeed, the telescope continues to be one of the most useful telescopes of any size, a testament to the dedication of its management and staff over the years. There is no doubt that this outstanding observatory has helped both Australia and the UK become world leaders in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.

The AAO bill provides for the observatory’s new governance arrangements. It will be renamed the Australian Astronomical Observatory and established as a business unit of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. The department will have new astronomical functions, which include operating Australia’s National Optical Astronomy Observatory and supporting the development and manufacture of astronomical observing instruments. The AAO bill provides for the observatory to have a director, who will be supported by an advisory committee. The AAO bill and the government’s related budget announcements are a significant win for science and for the vibrant regional community around Coonabarabran, which has hosted and supported this facility for nearly four decades.

The Australian Astronomical Observatory (Transitional Provisions) Bill is the companion bill to the Australian Astronomical Observatory Bill, which establishes the Australian Astronomical Observatory as the successor to the previous joint Australia-UK facility, the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The transitional provisions in the transitional bill wind up the Anglo-Australian Telescope Agreement Act 1970, thus disbanding the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board. The transitional bill also provides for the smooth transfer of business from the board to the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. This includes the transfer of current AAO staff to the department under the provisions of the Public Service Act 1999 and the maintenance of all their accrued entitlements. These staff transfer provisions will allow the observatory to retain the expert and experienced staff who are so vital to the ongoing success of the observatory. The transitional bill will ensure that the observatory can continue its important work without interruption. I commend both the AAO Bill and the transitional bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that the bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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