DATE: Thu, 14 May 2009 14:51:13 +1000
SUBJECT: AAO's future funding secured


Dear colleagues:

I am delighted to relay to you that future funding for the Anglo- 
Australian Observatory (AAO)
beyond the expiration of the current bi-national agreement (and hence  
total withdrawal
by the UK) on 30 June next year, was announced in Tuesday night's  
Federal Budget. Moreover,
we have been advised by the Department of Innovation, Industry,  
Science and Research
(DIISR) that this funding has been secured for the next 10 years,  
through to 2018/19.

The specific funding details announced in the Budget are as follows: A  
total of $20.9M of
new funding has been allocated for the next 4 years. In this period,  
total Australian
Government funding for the AAO (excluding NCRIS and other grants) will  
be $36.5M.
In fact, DIISR is forecasting that after the Australian Government  
takes sole ownership
of the AAO on 1 July 2010, the AAO will have stable recurrent funding  
of about $11M p.a.
through to 2018/19.

This commitment puts the AAO's financial future on a secure footing,  
so that it will be able
to continue to provide users of the AAT with excellent instruments and  
high-quality service
to the end of the decade, while maintaining its renowned  
instrumentation program in support
of Australia's national and international optical telescope  
facilities. With AAO's funding secured,
DIISR is now moving to resolve the future governance of the AAO.

On behalf of the AAT Board, I would like to acknowledge the  
extraordinary efforts and
perseverance of the AAO's Director, Matthew Colless, and Executive  
Officer, Neville Legg,
in securing this excellent funding outcome for the AAO. The Board also  
very much
appreciates the patience and continued commitment and dedication of  
AAO staff
through what has been a long and drawn-out period of uncertainty over  
the AAO's
future.

Best regards,
Warrick Couch (AATB Chair)

-- 
Prof. Warrick Couch                    phone: +61 3 9214 4712
ARC Professorial Fellow              fax: +61 3 9214 8797
Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing  mobile: +61 413 011371
AR Building, Room AR202b, Mail H39
Swinburne University       web: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~wcouch
Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia       email: wcouch@astro.swin.edu.au
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