Sydney Morning Herald - Cuts to CSIRO threaten The Dish and Compact Array Narrabri

[gary]

In an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/cuts-to-csiro-threaten-parkes-radio-telescope-is-this-the-end-for-the-dish-20160603-gpaqc1.html), Marcus Strom reports
on internal CSIRO documents dated 6 May 2016 that outline in the face
of impending cuts the possibility of having to stop operations
at the Australian Telescope Compact Array at Narrabri and the Parkes
Radiotelescope.





Article here -
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/cuts-to-csiro-threaten-parkes-radio-telescope-is-this-the-end-for-the-dish-20160603-gpaqc1.html

[casstony]

Perhaps if we let them turn the country into one big coalmine they'll give us a few scraps for science.

[xelasnave]

Hard to comment given it probably comes back to politics but this does not seem to line up with our PM's stated vision for going a smart or clever economy or what the heck he calls it... I dont remember because I dont listen.
In a y event one hears various cries that our science is going downhill etc and yet we get this. Shamful and stupid.
And didnt funding get cut for the lab who invented wifi recently.
The big money runs this country and they want more.
Alex

[clive milne]

The following is a Facebook post by Jeremy Buckingham.

There is a revolving door between mining and government.



The following is a list of some of the people who work or worked as lobbyists for the mining industry who used to be or became politicians, including ministers, advisers for Liberal, Labor and National Party politicians or senior government bureaucrats. It is by no means complete but gives a sense of the extent of the revolving door between miners and the government.

Ministers who became involved in mining after politics

Mark Vaile
former deputy prime minister and leader of Nationals under the Howard Government
on the board of Aston Resources – now merged with Whitehaven Coal.

John Anderson
former deputy prime minister and leader of the Nationals under the Howard Government
served as Chair of coal seam gas company Eastern Star Gas (acquired by Santos)

Martin Ferguson
Minister for Energy & Resources under Rudd/Gilllard
now chair of APPEA advisory board

Craig Emerson
Minister for Trade and Competitiveness under Rudd/Gillard
Now an economic consultant.whose clients include AGL and Santos

Greg Combet
Minister for Energy and Climate Change under Rudd/Gillard
Now an economic consultant.whose clients include AGL and Santos

NSW Mineral Council staff

Stephen Galilee – CEO
Chief of staff of the then Treasurer, now NSW Premier, Mike Baird

Scott Kennan – Director Communications
Media Advisor to Transport Minister Michael Costa 2003 – 2004

Emma Browning – Director Government Relations
Media & Policy Advisor “NSW Shadow Minister” -1997-1999

Brad Emery – Director Media and Public Affairs
Press Secretary Federal Assistant Treasurer, Peter Dutton MP 2004-2007
Advisor “Australian Government” – 2000-2004
Media Advisor Kerry Bartlett MP – 1998 – 1999

Sue-Ern Tan – Deputy CEO NSW Minerals Council 2008-2012
Senior Policy Adviser- Ian McDonald, Energy and Mining Office of the NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Mineral Resources, Minister for Energy, 2006 – 2008

Ksenya Belooussova – Media Advisor at Department of Premier and Cabinet
Digital Communications Manager – NSW Minerals Council (2012 -2014)

Lindsay Hermes – Advisor – Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry at Department of Industry
Media and Communications Manager NSW Minerals Council 2010-2013
Media Advisor – 2013 Federal Election Liberal Party
Advisor to Deputy Leader of the Opposition ACT Government 2006 -2008

Minerals Council of Australia staff

Brendan Pearson – CEO
Assistant Secretary Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2002-2004

John Kunkel – Deputy CEO
Senior Adviser, Cabinet Policy Unit Office of John Howard 2004-2007
Advisor to Mark Vaile, 1999-2001
Trade Advisor to Tim Fischer, 1998-1999

James Sorahan – Director – Taxation
Policy Advisor, Martin Fergusen 2010-2013
Policy Advisor, Chris Bowen 2007-2010
Policy Analyst, Australian Treasury 2005-2007

Chris Natt – Training and Education Coordinator
Worked for NT Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Fisheries, Minister for Mines and Energy 2005-2009

Chris McCombe – Assistant Director-Environmental Policy
Manager, Major Projects (Abandoned Mines Land Program) Queensland Mines and Energy 2008-2010

Third-party mining lobbyists

Liam Bathgate – Director at Australian Public Affairs
Lobbied for Shenua Watermark, Aston Resources (Maules Creek Coal Project) and Tenix Group
Chief of Staff to Barry O’Farrell 2007-2008
General Secretary of NSW National Party 1992 – 1997
Principal Private Secretary to Ian Sinclair MP (Leader of National Party) 1984 – 1987
Press Secretary to Doug Anthony MP (Deputy PM and Leader of Nationals) 1979 – 1984

Brian Tyson – Managing Partner at Newgate Communications
Lobbied for Coalpac Pty Ltd
Press Secretary Former NSW Premier Nick Greiner and Planning and Energy Minister Robert Webster 1987 – 1995

Larry Anthony – Founding Director at SAS Group
Lobbied for Shenua
Senior Vice President Federal Nationals 2006 – 2012

Mathew Watson – Managing Director at Repute Communications
Lobbied for Bickham Coal and Port Waratah Coal Services
Senior Communications Manager (Cabinet / Ministerial) in NSW Government 2002 – 2004

Michael van Maanen – Partner Newgate Communications 2013 – Present
Lobbied for Coalpac Pty Ltd
Adviser to the Federal Minister for Workforce Participation 2006 –2007
Adviser to the Federal Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 2004 – 2006
Policy Adviser in Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence) 2000 – 2004

Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) staff

Martin Ferguson- Chair of APPEA advisory board
Minister for Energy & Resources under Rudd/Gilllard

Chris Ward – Media Manager, Eastern Australia
Principal Media Adviser to Queensland Minister for Transport 2010 – 2011
Press Secretary to Federal Minister for Consumer Affairs and Small Business 2008–10
Senior Media Adviser to the Queensland Treasurer 2007-08
Senior Media Adviser to NSW Attorney and Minister for the Environment 2003–07

Ryan Bondar – Policy and Government Relations
Senior Policy Advisor NSW Leader of Opposition Barry O’Farrell 2008-2010
Research officer Joe Hockey 2003-2004

Michael Bradley – Director External Affairs
Ministerial advisor to Martin Ferguson Federal Resources and Energy Minister 2008-2010

Alexandra Gibson – Policy Director, NSW/VIC
Advisor to Christopher Pyne 2006-2007

Damien Hills – National Associate Director, Environment & Safety
Senior Policy Adviser Office of the Minister for Environment and Heritage (WA) March 2001 – February 2002

Kieran Murphy – Manager Media & Communications – Western Region
Communications Director Office of the Premier 2005 – 2008 (WA)

Stedman Ellis – COO,Western
Deputy DG, WA Department of Mines and Petroleum 2007-2010

Adam Welch – Senior Policy Adviser, Western
Senior Policy Officer/Policy Officer at Office of Energy – Government of Western Australia
Executive Office at Office of Energy – Government of Western Australia

Paul Fennelly – Chief Operating Officer, Eastern Australia
Director-General (CEO) of Department of State Development, Trade & Innovation-General at Queensland Government



“The director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and his deputy instructed a team of ASIS technicians to travel to East Timor in an elaborate plan, using Australian aid programs relating to the renovation and construction of the cabinet offices in Dili, East Timor, to insert listening devices into the wall, of walls to be constructed under an Australian aid program.”

Mr Collaery says a star witness who ASIO questioned (in December 2013) was “not some disaffected spy” but the former director of all technical operations at ASIS.

He says the former ASIS operator decided to blow the whistle after learning Mr Downer had become an adviser to Woodside Petroleum in his years after politics.

In a statement to the ABC, Mr Downer says the allegations are old and he will not comment on matters regarding national security.”

[clive milne]

In case you are wondering who sets the political agenda in this country,
consider the following 'wish list', issued by the big money, lobby group,
the Institute of Public Affairs.. fwiw) Rupert Murdoch was recently a key note
speaker (and guest) at one of their functions..

The keen eyed observer should be able to see his role in manufacturing
consent in the name of 'public interest:

For those that don't know, the policy think tank who issued this list is basically
the mouthpiece for the (mostly foreign owned) trans-national mega corporations that fund it.

1 Repeal the carbon tax, and don't replace it. It will be one thing to remove the burden of the carbon tax from the Australian economy. But if it is just replaced by another costly scheme, most of the benefits will be undone.

2 Abolish the Department of Climate Change

3 Abolish the Clean Energy Fund

4 Repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act

5 Abandon Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council

6 Repeal the renewable energy target

7 Return income taxing powers to the states

8 Abolish the Commonwealth Grants Commission

9 Abolish the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

10 Withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol

11 Introduce fee competition to Australian universities

12 Repeal the National Curriculum

13 Introduce competing private secondary school curriculums

14 Abolish the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

15 Eliminate laws that require radio and television broadcasters to be 'balanced'

16 Abolish television spectrum licensing and devolve spectrum management to the common law

17 End local content requirements for Australian television stations

18 Eliminate family tax benefits

19 Abandon the paid parental leave scheme

20 Means-test Medicare

21 End all corporate welfare and subsidies by closing the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education

22 Introduce voluntary voting

23 End mandatory disclosures on political donations

24 End media blackout in final days of election campaigns

25 End public funding to political parties

26 Remove anti-dumping laws

27 Eliminate media ownership restrictions

28 Abolish the Foreign Investment Review Board

29 Eliminate the National Preventative Health Agency

30 Cease subsidising the car industry

31 Formalise a one-in, one-out approach to regulatory reduction

32 Rule out federal funding for 2018 Commonwealth Games

33 Deregulate the parallel importation of books

34 End preferences for Industry Super Funds in workplace relations laws

35 Legislate a cap on government spending and tax as a percentage of GDP

36 Legislate a balanced budget amendment which strictly limits the size of budget deficits and the period the federal government can be in deficit

37 Force government agencies to put all of their spending online in a searchable database

38 Repeal plain packaging for cigarettes and rule it out for all other products, including alcohol and fast food

39 Reintroduce voluntary student unionism at universities

40 Introduce a voucher scheme for secondary schools

41 Repeal the alcopops tax

42 Introduce a special economic zone in the north of Australia including:
a) Lower personal income tax for residents
b) Significantly expanded 457 Visa programs for workers
c) Encourage the construction of dams

43 Repeal the mining tax

44 Devolve environmental approvals for major projects to the states

45 Introduce a single rate of income tax with a generous tax-free threshold

46 Cut company tax to an internationally competitive rate of 25 per cent

47 Cease funding the Australia Network

48 Privatise Australia Post

49 Privatise Medibank

50 Break up the ABC and put out to tender each individual function

51 Privatise SBS

52 Reduce the size of the public service from current levels of more than 260,000 to at least the 2001 low of 212,784

53 Repeal the Fair Work Act

54 Allow individuals and employers to negotiate directly terms of employment that suit them

55 Encourage independent contracting by overturning new regulations designed to punish contractors

56 Abolish the Baby Bonus

57 Abolish the First Home Owners' Grant

58 Allow the Northern Territory to become a state

59 Halve the size of the Coalition front bench from 32 to 16

60 Remove all remaining tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade

61 Slash top public servant salaries to much lower international standards, like in the United States

62 End all public subsidies to sport and the arts

63 Privatise the Australian Institute of Sport

64 End all hidden protectionist measures, such as preferences for local manufacturers in government tendering

65 Abolish the Office for Film and Literature Classification

66 Rule out any government-supported or mandated internet censorship

67 Means test tertiary student loans

68 Allow people to opt out of superannuation in exchange for promising to forgo any government income support in retirement

69 Immediately halt construction of the National Broadband Network and privatise any sections that have already been built

70 End all government funded Nanny State advertising

71 Reject proposals for compulsory food and alcohol labelling

72 Privatise the CSIRO

73 Defund Harmony Day

74 Close the Office for Youth

75 Privatise the Snowy-Hydro Scheme

[casstony]

It's obviously going to be an uphill battle until such time as we get Delightful Dr. Carl as World President with Toughguy deGrasse Tyson as his second in command.