Western Australia Radio Astronomy Committee

The Western Australian Radio Astronomy Committee (WARAC) was formed in 2005. It brought together WA government departments, mining industry representatives, regional officials and the astronomical community to establish a Radio Astronomy Park surrounding Australia's proposed SKA site on Mileura Station in the Murchison region of Midwest WA. During the latter half of 2006, discussions within WARAC centred on a proposed upgrade of the Cue Berringara road through Mileura station to accommodate iron ore transport from mines in the Jack Hills Range.

Based on advice and studies from CSIRO, the International Telecommunications Union and MIT/Haystack Observatory, WARAC acknowledged that the truck traffic through the RAP, at the levels proposed, would prevent the projects and experiments located within the 27 km EMC zone surrounding Mileura from achieving their scientific objectives. An extraordinary meeting of WARAC was held on 24 November 2006, including regional authorities and mining interests, to discuss possible alternative locations for the RAP within the previously defined region protected from new mining activity by legislation under Section 19 of the WA Mining Act.

A potential new location for the RAP was found approximately 100 km west of the initial Mileura site on a 350,000 hectare cattle property leased by Mr. John Richards and managed by Mr. Mark Halleen. WARAC subsequently made recommendations to the WA Premier Alan Carpenter that WA should strengthen its support for radio astronomy and the Australian SKA bid by approving the new site and establishing the highest possible legislative protection to preserve its radio quietness. On 12 December 2006, Premier Alan Carpenter took over the Science and Innovation portfolio and filled the vacant post of WA Chief Scientist with Prof. Lyn Beazley from UWA. These two actions raised the profile and attention to radio astronomical matters in WA to an "all of government" level.

Following discussions in the WA Cabinet and meetings between astronomy and mining stakeholders and the Department of Industry and Resources (DOIR) in December, the WA Premier announced on 13 February 2007, that the radio astronomy site would move west from Mileura to the new site which would ecome known as the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO).

"This is an exciting, once in a century project, that would place WA at the world forefront of radio astronomy," Mr Carpenter said. "Moving the SKA site will resolve the problem that has arisen between mining activities in the Mid-West and the need to maintain the radio quietness of the region," he said. "Still within the original protected zone, the new site offers a 70km buffer to enable both radio astronomy and mining activities to co-exist in the Mid-West”.

Premier Carpenter also stated the State Government would continue to work with the Commonwealth to develop appropriate mechanisms, including legislation, to protect the radio quietness of the new SKA site. A joint state-federal taskforce to work on this legislation and to coordinate efforts to maximize Australia’s chances of winning the SKA site bid will be established by May 2007.

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