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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dear ASA members,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">It has been brought to my attention that several members were suspicious of the email sent by ACIL Allen last week, with the title “Access to World Leading Astronomy Infrastructure (AWLAI) program evaluation
survey”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">I assure you that this was *<b>not</b>* spam.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">For context, ACIL Allen are a consultancy engaged by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) to evaluate the current optical astronomy arrangements in Australia. This includes the ESO strategic
partnership and transition of the AAO/AAT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">As the original email from ACIL Allen (copied below) says, our community’s input is essential for communicating the value of these arrangements, and also for identifying the opportunities and benefits from
any potential future optical astronomy arrangements.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">I encourage you to engage with this process as appropriate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Stas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">A/Prof Stas Shabala<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">(he/him/his)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">President, Astronomical Society of Australia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Discipline of Physics | School of Natural Sciences | College of Science and Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">University of Tasmania<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">Dear astronomy community,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<a name="_Hlk118911255"><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">The Australian Department of Innovation, Science and Resources (the Department) engaged<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>ACIL<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Allen<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to
evaluate the impact of the Access to World Leading Astronomy Infrastructure (AWLAI) program.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<b><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">This evaluation is essential for understanding the value you get from participating in AWLAI, and identifying the opportunities and benefits that could flow from future funding arrangements.</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">We encourage you to participate in a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>confidential</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>online survey</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to
help<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>ACIL<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Allen<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>understand the program’s design, how well it has been delivered, and the impacts achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">The survey is available at the link below and should take<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>10-20 minutes</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of your time. Please complete
this survey by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>15 September 2023</b>.<br>
<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/3DDtCnx1jniXkp6lwt99hh0?domain=survey.websurveycreator.com" title="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/0f5cCwVLP8HGrgPjOCVjXiZ?domain=survey.websurveycreator.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">https://survey.websurveycreator.com/s.aspx?s=bf927e51-323b-4b02-bdf6-7dd4f372c400</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">The survey seeks feedback from your perspective. It is intended to be completed only once. Your participation is voluntary, and you can choose to answer some or all of the questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<b><u><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">Background</span></u></b><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">AWLAI enabled the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>strategic partnership with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) - including access to their La Silla and Paranal Observatories (LPO)
for 10 years to 1 January 2028. In February 2022 an amendment was made to the Australia-ESO Strategic Partnership Arrangement to allow Australian industry and astronomy institutions to tender for contracts under the ESO Technology Development Program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">AWLAI also transitioned Australia’s existing research and commercial capabilities in the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) from the Government to the research sector. This resulted in the
separation of the AAO into the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT),<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>operated by a consortium of universities and Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL), and created the astronomy instrumentation consortium, Astralis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">ACIL<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Allen<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is bound by confidentiality provisions and will ensure that all data collected during this evaluation
meets the obligations set out in the Australian Privacy Principles. All parties operate in accordance with the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Privacy Act 1988</i>. Survey participants will not be personally identified as part of the evaluation
process, including in any reporting by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>ACIL<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Allen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.5pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.5pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:14.0pt;caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black">For more information, please contact the:<br>
--<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>ACIL<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Allen<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Project Team at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:awlai-evaluation@acilallen.com.au" title="mailto:awlai-evaluation@acilallen.com.au"><span style="color:#0563C1">awlai-evaluation@acilallen.com.au</span></a><br>
-- Optical Astronomy Team<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:opticalastronomy@industry.gov.au"><span style="color:#0563C1">opticalastronomy@industry.gov.au</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<p style="font-size:10pt; line-height:10pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><br>
<br>
This email is confidential, and is for the intended recipient only. Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance on any of it by anyone outside the intended recipient organisation is prohibited and may be a criminal offence. Please delete if obtained
in error and email confirmation to the sender. The views expressed in this email are not necessarily the views of the University of Tasmania, unless clearly intended otherwise.</p>
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