Labor Confirms Support for Square Kilometre Array. (February 28, 2008)

Artist's impression of the core site of the Square Kilometre Array if it is based in Australia.  Credit: CSIRO

The Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Kim Carr, is to promote Australia's bid to host the world's largest and most powerful radio telescope, the $2 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA), in meetings scheduled with Europe's science and research leaders.

Australia along with South Africa is short-listed for the SKA. A decision is expected around 2011 when the nations' respective bids are to be evaluated.

Senator Carr said: "With the involvement of 19 countries, the SKA will be one of the largest and most ambitious international science projects ever devised and the Australian Government is working hard to be the country to host it."

The minister believes that hosting the SKA would be "an enormous boost to Australia's international science and research profile," as well as creating "hundreds of high-skill, high-wage jobs over the 50-year life of the project". Senator Carr also said that it will have "enormous implications for Australian industry – including fibre optics, data-storage, transport and many other areas.

"I will also be putting forward Australia's iron-clad case for hosting the telescope during a high-level SKA roundtable in Berlin and an SKA presentation in Brussels."