Premier visits WA SKA site

Earlier this week Premier Colin Barnett joined ICRAR directors Carole Jackson and Lister Staveley-Smith on a visit to the future home of the SKA in WA’s Mid West.

THE HONOURABLE COLIN BARNETT, PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, VISTING THE CORE OF ASKAP AT THE MUCHISON RADIO-ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY. LEFT TO RIGHT: PROF. CAROLE JACKSON (ICRAR/CURTIN), WA PREMIER THE HON. COLIN BARNETT, DONNA FARAGHER (PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE PREMIER), PROF. LISTER STAVELEY-SMITH (ICRAR/UWA) AND DR LEWIS BALL (CSIRO).

The Premier toured the control building, several ASKAP antennas and the Aperture Array Verification System next to the Murchison Widefield Array while at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, approximately 315km north-east of Geraldton.

Mr Barnett, who is also the Minister for Science and State Development, was joined on the CSIRO-organised visit by Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Donna Faragher and Office of Science Executive Director Fiona Roche.

The trip marks the first time the Premier has visited the future SKA site and allowed him to hear first hand about the science behind the telescope and its precursors from Professor Jackson, Professor Staveley-Smith and the Director of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Dr Lewis Ball.

Scientists from around the world, including ICRAR researchers at Curtin and UWA, are currently working with CSIRO engineers to design SKA technologies, prototypes of which will be tested alongside the MWA in the coming year.

Construction of the first phase of the SKA is scheduled to begin in 2018, with early science from 2020 onwards.

ICRAR would like to acknowledge Dr Lewis Ball, Director of CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science, for hosting and coordinating the Premier’s visit to the site.

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