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Originally Posted by rogerg
Very good - I am happy to be corrected  I did completely misunderstand the funding of the various institutions etc on the east coast. |
Hi Roger,
You are most welcome.
Plus I forgot that the Federal Government also funds access to some of the large
optical telescopes overseas, such as the Gemini North (Hawaii) and Gemini South
(Chile) and the Subaru (Hawaii). So funds are paid to the consortium by the
Federal Government and observing time access for Australian astronomers
is managed by the Australian Gemini Office, which is part of the AAO.
See
http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/
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I wonder what this means for how the Perth Observatory should be funded? What you are suggesting is that various other observatories are heavily funded by the government. Does this mean the PO should be funded more to have it's fair share, or not necessarily funded as funding is being sufficiently placed in other institutions?
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Since the Perth Observatory is operated by the State Government of West Australia,
just as the Sydney Observatory is operated by the State Government of NSW,
it will clearly be a decision to be made by the good folk of WA.
It would be a pity to see its science program cut.
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My understanding is that the SKA funding for further development beyond the initial term (which I'm not sure how long that was but was under the impression it had expired) is pending and overdue?
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The SKA is built and funded by a consortium of nations who have signed a
letter of agreement.
The SKA Pathfinder array in WA went live last October.
Only last month, Science and Research Minister Chris Evans announced
a new $18.8 million research and development fund towards the SKA.
This is to help ensure Australian engineers and scientists had access to funds
needed for R&D before construction began on the SKA proper in 2016.
See
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...ceives-funding
Whilst Australia weathered the global economic downturn far better than
most other parts of the world, there has been concern for some time with some
of the partner nations being able to find the funds for their share. Hopefully things
will turn around for the better for them.