SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR E. G. WHITL. AM, M. P. f
AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN TELESCOPE.-
SIDING SPRING, NSW.
WEDNESDAY, 16 OCTOBER, 1974
THERE COULD BE NO MORE FITTING SYMBOL OF THE
ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN RELATIONSHIP THAN THIS TELESCOPES IT
COMMEMORATES A SPIRIT OF SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOUR -AND A
HISTORY OF ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH -THAT BEGAN WITH COOK'S
FIRST VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH SEAS. THE ASTRONOMERS OF THE
ROYAL. SOCIETY IN THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SET OUT TO
OBSERVE THE TRANSIT OF VENUS. COOK FINISHED UP CHARTING
THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. ASTRONOMERS WHO IN SUCH
MATTERS, AS IN ALL THINGS, TAKE THE LONG VIEW WILL..
DOUBTLESS CONTINUE TO ARGUE WHICH OF THESE PHENOMENA WAS.
MORE IMPORTANT. THE FACT REMAINS THAT THE COLONISATION OF*
AUSTRALIA By EUROPEANS HAD ITS ORIGINS IN AN
ASTRONOMICAL PROJECT. TRADE FOLLOWED THE FLAG, BUT THE
FLAG FOLLOWED THE TELESCOPE. IT MAY NOT BE TOO ROMANTIC
TO SUGGEST THAT THE TELESCOPE ON THE ENDEAVOUR WAS AS
POTENT A SYMBOI OF BRITAIN.' S IMPERIAL GREATNESS AS
NELSON'S TELESCOPE ON THE VICTORY. MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES
AFTER COOK'S VOYAGE, BRITISH AND AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMERS
CAN NOW PURSUE THEIR OBSERVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SKIES
WITH THIS NEW ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN TELESCOPE THIS BRILLIANT
EXAMPLE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND PRECISION ENGINEERING
WHICH WE SEE BEFORE US. om./ 2
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I COMMEND PROFESSOR HOYLE'S VIEW. THAT " A-TELESCOPE
IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE THINGS WHICH OUR CIVILIZATION
DOES WELL". ITIS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE'THINGS WHICH
A TRUE CIVILIZATION ALONE CAN DO. ASTRONOMY IS ONE OF
THE FEW SCIENTIFIC PURSUITS CERTAIN BRANCHES OF
MATHEMATICS, CERTAIN BRANCHES OF. THEORETICAL NUCLEAR
PHYSICS ARE OTHERS WHICH EXIST FOR-NO OTHER PURPOSE
THAN THE PURE SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE. No ONE DOUBTS THAT
ASTRONOMY HAS ITS PRACTICAL USES, GOVERNMENTS ARE
FREQUENTLY REMINDED OF THEM BY ASTRONOMERS THEMSELVES.-
NEVERTHELESS, THE TRUE GLORY OF ASTRONOMY LIES IN THE
VALUE IT PLACES ON KNOWLEDGE FOR ITS OWN SAKE KNOWLEDGE
OF AN ABSOLUTE AND FUNDAMENTAL KIND. No CIVILIZATION
CAN REMAIN INDIFFERENT TO THE ORIGINS OF THE EARTH OR
ITS PLACE IN THE COSMOS.
ASTRONOMY IS RICH IN THEORIES BUT SOMEWHAT
DEFICIENT IN PRACTICAL RESULTS. IN THAT RESPECT IT CAN
BE LIKENED TO ECONOMICS. IN ITS ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE
ANSWERS TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT MAN'S ENVIRONMENT
AND HIS PLACE IN REALITY, IT CAN BE LIKENED TO RELIGION.
IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT THE HIGH PRIESTS OF ASTRONOMY
CONDUCT THEIR NOCTURNAL RITES IN REMOTE TEMPLES ON
INACCESSIBLE MOUNTAINTOPS. SO I THINK THERE IS AN
EXCELLENT CASE FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ASTRONOMY, JUST
AS WE GIVE STATE AID TO OTHER RELIGIOUS ENTERPRISES. WE
ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS. THE AMERICANS, A PRAGMATIC AND
HARD-HEADED PEOPLE, HAVE PROVIDED VAST PUBLIC FUNDS FOR
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A SPACE PROGRAM WHOSE ULTIMATE PURPOSE IS TO ADD
TO MAN'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE COSMOS AND HIS PLACE
WITHIN IT. I WOULD NOT WISH TO JUSTIFY THE
SCALE OF THAT EXPENDITURE, BUT I APPROVE
WHOLEHEARIEDLY THE PURPOSES BEHIND IT.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ASTRONOMY HAS A
LONG HISTORY. IT CAN BE TRACED FROM THE ANCIENT
CIVILIZATIONS TO THE PRESENT DAY, FROM THE
EGYPTIANS, THE PERSIANS, COPERNICUS, GALILEO,
NEWTON AND KEPLER, TO THE PLATFORM OF THE
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY. OUR POLICY ON SCIENCE
PLEDGES " PARTICULAR SUPPORT TO AREAS IN
WHICH AUSTRALIA CAN MAKE A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION,
INCLUDING ASTRONOMY...
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IN THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES ASTRONOMY WAS
RECOGNISED FOR ITS IMPORTANCE TO NAVIGATION AND
CARTOGRAPHY. IT WAS SUFFICIENTLY IMPORTANT AT THE TIME
OF FEDERATION FOR THE FOUNDING FATHERS TO MAKE SPECIFIC
PROVISION IN THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION FOR THE PARLIAMENT
TO MAKE LAWS WITH RESPECT TO ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS
TWO SUCH LAWS HAVE BEEN MADE: IN 1930, WHEN PARLIAMENT
ESTABLISHED THE COMMONWEALTH SOLAR OBSERVATORY, AND
IN 1970 WHEN IT PASSED LEGISLATION SETTING UP THE AGREEMENT
FOR THIS TELESCOPE AT SIDING SPRING. IT IS APPROPRIATE
THAT THE STUDY OF THE LAWS OF THE PLANETS AND STARS SHOULD*
BE MENTIONED IN THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION A DOCUMENT AS
TIMELESS. AND IMMUTABLE AS THE HEAVENLY BODIES THEMSELVES.
THE PRESENT AUSTRALIAN COMMITMENT TO ASTRONOMY
IS EXTENSIVE. THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSI-TY OPERATES
MAJOR OPTICAL TELESCOPES AT MOUNT STROMbLO AND HERE AT
SIDING SPRING. MAJOR RADIO TELESCOPES ARE OPERATED BY THE
C. S. I. R. 0. AND BY SYDNEY UNIVERSITY. THE UNIVERSITY OF
TASMANIA HAS A GROWING INVOLVEMENT IN ASTRONOMY AND THERE
ARE STATE GOVERNMENT OBSERVATORIES IN SYDNEY AND PERTH.
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ASTRONOMERS HAVE GAINED
A WORLD-WIDE REPUTATION FOR THEIR WORK ON THE STRUCTURE AND
EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES, STELLAR STRUCTURE AND THE CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION OF STARS. RADIO ASTRONOMERS IN C. S. I. R. 0. AND
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY HAVE MADE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO
QUASAR ASTRONOMY AND TO THE STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE AND
EVOLUTION OF THE. UNIVERSE.
GROUPS WORKING WITH THE PARKES RADIO TELESCOPE HAVE
RECENTLY DISCOVERED MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ORGANIC
MOLECULES IN THE GAS CLOUDS OF INTERSTELLAR* SPACE. THESE
DISCOVERIES MAY THROW LIGHT ON THE PROCESSES THAT LED TO
THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE ON EARTH. ASTRONOMERS AT SYDNEY
UNIVERSITY HAVE PERFORMED WORK OF FUNDAMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE
IN THE MEASUREMENT OF THE SIZES OF STELLAR OBJECTS.
THE BUDGET LAST MONTH PROVIDED A GRANT TO ENABLE A STUDY
OF A NEW INSIRUMENT TO EXTEND THIS WORKS
ASTRONOMY FOR MANY YEARS HAS ENJOYED A WIDE MEASURE
OF INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION BOTH AT THE INSTITUTIONAL
AND THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL AND AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMY HAS
BENEFITED FROM THIS. AUSTRALIA AND BRITAIN ARE SHARING
EQUALLY THE CAPITAL COST OF THIS TELESCOPE, AMOUNTING TO
$ 16 MI. LLION AND THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL OPERATING COST OF
$ 1.3 MILLION. MANY OF THE ASTRONOMICAL FACILITIES IN
AUSTRALIA WERE-BUILT WITH FUNDS CONTRIBUTED PARTLY FROM
ABROAD AND Vt4NY OF THE ASTRONOMERS WORKING IN AUSTRALIA
WERE BORN OVERSEAS. SOME ARE HERE AS VI'ITORS AND SOME
ARE'PERMANENT RESIDENTS. THEY CONE FROi' A VARIETY OF
-OUNTRIES INCLUDING SRI LANKA, INDIA, KOREA, THE PEOPLE'S
REPUbL-C OF CHINA, ISRAEL, POLAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM,
GERMANY, ' FW ZEALAND AND SWEDEN. THE DIRECTOR
OF THIS TELESCOPE, DR E. J. WAMPLER, ! S AN AMERTCAN CITIZEN
AND TWO OF THE THREE AUSTRALIAN MEMBERS ON THE AAT BOARD,
DR WILD AND PROFESSOR STREET, WERE BORN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
THERE ARE MANY AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMERS WORKING OVERSEAS.
I AM. PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE INAUGURATION
OF THIS TELESCOPE.. I AM PROUD THAT MY GOVERNMENT, IS
CONTRIBUTING TO ITS COST.. ITS BEAUTY, ITS POWER, ITS
PRECISION REFLECT THE HIGHEST CREDIT ON ALL'WHO DESIGNED
AND BUILT IT. THOSE WHO USE IT, LIKE POLITICANS, WILL
SIT THROUGH THE LONG REACHES OF THE NIGHT. YOU WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO MAN'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTH AND THE
UNIVERSE. THE QUESTIONS YOU ASK ARE OF'TRANSCENDENTAL
IMPORTANCE TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF OURSELVES AND OUR SURROUNDINGS.
IT MAY WELL BE THAT THE ULTIMATE ANSWERS YOU SEEK WILL
ALWAYS ELUDE YOU; THAT IN THE LAST RESORT THE MYSTERIES YOU
ATTEMPT TO UNRAVEL WILL REMAIN IN THE PHILOSOPHER'S COURT.
FOR ALL THAT, IT IS GOOD TO REFLECT THAT HERE IN THIS
BUILDING AND IN OTHERS LIKE IT, AMONG YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ITS PUREST, MOST
PEACEFUL AND MOST DISINTERESTED FORM WILL GO FORWARD FOR
THE ENRICHMENT OF OUR UNDERSTANDING AND FOR THE BENEFIT
OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.
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