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Jj, AUSTKALIA_ N I'
FOR MEDIA 21 August, 1979
BUDGET INITIATIVES IN
MARINE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Prime Minister, Mr Malcolm Fraser, commented tonight on
initiatives which the Government had taken in the field of marine
science and technology in the context of the 1979-80 Budget.
Mr Fraser recalled that in his Parliamentary Statement of 4 June
1979 concerning the Government's decisions on petroleum exploration
in the Great Barrier Reef he had announced that the Australian
Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory Committee ( AMSTAC)
had been asked to submit advice on a program of research on
the Reef environment for consideration in the Budget context.
AMSTAC, which is a Standing ComTmittee of the Australian Science
and Technology Council has reported to the Government on such
a program. The report will be tabled in the Parliament shortly.
The Government had decided that $ 400,000 will be provided in
1979-80 and the two succeeding financial years for grants in
marine science and technology, of which $ 300,000 will be devoted
to the Great Barrier Reef.
The task of allocating these funds will be undertaken-by the
Minister for Science and the Environment, Senator Webster, on
the advice of the Marine Research Allocations Panel ( MARAP).
The Prime Minister said that the membership of MARAP will be
announced shortly.
Mr Fraser went on to say that additional scientific staff
positions with suitable support funding for 1979-80 and the
two succeeding years would be provided at the Australian
Institute of Marine Science ( AIMS) at Cape Ferguson, near
Townsville with the specific objective of accelerating research
on thle Barrier Reef.
The Government had decided that this research should be directed
to the study of environmental processes including physical,
chemical and biological oceanography and reef population ecology.
Mr Fraser recalled that the Australian Institute of Marine science
had been set up in 1972 when he was Minister for Education and
Science. / 2 N>
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The Prime Minister went on to say that these important
initiatives were a further step in the Government's commitment
to undertake short and longer term research into the
Great Barrier Reef which had been suggested by the Chairman of
the Royal Commissions into Exploratory and Production Drilling
for Petroleum.
The Prime Minister said that in his agreement with the Premier
of Queensland on 14 June 1979 it was noted that the research
program on the Great Barrier Reef will be monitored by the
Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Council and it will be closely
supervised by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Mr Fraser concluded by stating that the combination of
co-operative arrangements with Queensland and funding of these
new initiitives will ensure that the Government's strong
commitment to the preservation of this most important part
of Austr--alia will be effectively pursued.
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