All of us in the Royal Society of New South Wales have been distressed and saddened by the devastating bushfires that have darkened our skies, our landscape, and our spirits over the summer. Some of our Members and Fellows have suffered personal loss of irreplaceable property. Some have been personally involved in firefighting while others have donated generously to the organisations staffing the front lines. All of us are devastated by the scale of the ecological disaster. On behalf of the Royal Society, I want to express heartfelt sympathy with those who have suffered loss, and our admiration and gratitude for all those who have been helping in the efforts to control the fires and their aftermath.
In the community, there is a natural desire to understand the causes, learn the necessary lessons, and take action. To what extent are the fires the results of policies and practices surrounding controlled burning? To what extent can global warming be held responsible for the severity of this and future fire seasons? How can our nation best respond to the resulting environmental, social, and economic challenges that will face us in the future?
The Royal Society is committed to a dispassionate evidence-based understanding of all these issues. In the case of bushfire management, we must listen to fire chiefs and fire research scientists. We must accept the unequivocal conclusions of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering that the science is in: the climate is changing, in a way that has been predicted by Australian and International organisations for many years; and human activities since the beginning of the industrial revolution are in significant part responsible.
For those who wish to gain a better understanding of the science, I can recommend the statements on climate change from the Academy of Science and the Academy of Technology and Engineering . I also refer you to the more extended (30 page) Academy of Science booklet and informative YouTube videos from the Academy.
We must be prepared to do more to limit further changes, and to adapt to the many challenges that are already apparent. With your support the Royal Society can play an important role in finding solutions.
Ian H Sloan
President, Royal Society of NSW
29 January 2020
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Links to videos of the presentations, held on the Society's YouTube Channel, are provided in the program below. Links to slides from the presentations (where applicable and where approved by presenters for inclusion in this report) are provided in the descriptions of the YouTube videos. A gallery of images from the event is available on the Society's SharePoint Gallery site.
Opening Proceedings
Keynote Address
Session I—Australia in the Space Age
Session II—Space Law, Security, and Ethics
Session III—Space and People
Session IV—Australia's Space Economy: Prospects for the Future
Rapporteur Session
This year’s Royal Society of NSW and Four Academies Forum devoted to the subject of ‘Making Space for Australia’ drew together, in one day, authoritative voices from the natural, technological and social sciences and the humanities, to consider a range of issues that are likely to inform Australian public policy and public opinion in the decades ahead.
Held like the four previous Forums, under the gracious Vice Regal Patronage of the Governor of New South Wales and in the ballroom of Government House, Sydney, the inclusive gathering of 140 people represented the Royal Society of NSW, the four Learned Academies, and guests from a cross-section of the space community, including 13 undergraduate students from diverse Faculties across six universities and studying various aspects of space.
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO, QC, Governor of NSW, reflected during her opening remarks on Australia’s long interest in reading the Heavens, beginning with the earliest Aboriginal observations and understanding of the constellations and their configurations.
Introduced by Professor Anne Green, Chair of the NSW Division of ATSE, the Keynote speaker, Professor Lisa Kewley, emphasized Australia’s strengths in space science while taking us on a tour of the Universe. The next session, Australia in the Space Age , moderated by Professor Jane Hall, President of the Academy of the Social Sciences, heard papers by the space historian and curator, Kerrie Dougherty on ‘Sixty Years of Australia in Space,’ by Dr Megan Clark (Director of the Australian Space Agency), on the Agency and its work; by Dr Kimberley Clayfield, on CSIRO’s ‘Roadmap for Space’; and by Dr Adam Lewis, of Geoscience Australia, on ‘Seeing and Sensing Australia from Space.’
Dr Donna Lawler, Principal of Azimuth Advisory, moderated the session devoted to Space Law, Security and Ethics. Prof Steven Freeland, the distinguished international Space lawyer, summarized the ‘Limits of Law’ in Space, and Dr Ben Piggott of UNSW Canberra reminded us of the military and geopolitical dimensions of Space policy. Dr Nikki Coleman, RAAF chaplain and Space ethicist, explored the ‘Ethical Challenges in Space: Norms and Conventions in Peaceful Spacefaring.’
A third session, expertly conducted by Ms Annie Handmer, historian of science of Sydney University, on Space and People , highlighted key themes in what is fast becoming the ‘humanities of Space’, with papers by Jonathan Webb, of the ABC, on the ‘Promise and Peril of Space’; by Dr Alice Gorman, of Flinders University, on ‘Space Heritage: Artefacts and Archaeology’ (both now challenged by the profusion of Space debris); a theme capped by the writer and novelist Ceridwen Dovey, on ‘Human Visions and Visitors in Space’.
The final session, Australia's Space Economy moderated by Dr Susan Pond AM, Chair of the NSW Smart Sensing Network, brought us back to Earth, welcoming William Barrett, Senior VP of Asia Pacific Space consultants, who addressed Australia’s promising Space Industry, then Paul Scully-Power, AM, one of Australia’s pioneering astronauts, speaking about the challenge presented by ‘Space 2.0: Small Space Satellite’s’. Finally, Group Captain Jason Lind, explained the role that Defence must and is playing in supporting Australia’s Space industry.
Our rapporteur, Dr Brett Biddington, AM, of Canberra, skillfully summarized the day. He reminded the audience that by a unique combination of history, science, and geography, Australia occupies an important place on the front line of continuing discoveries in Space. He noted the tension between the civil and the defence realms in space as well as an even bigger tension emerging between public and private investment in space.
Judging from the RSNSW’s customary post-conference Survey, the Forum met the challenges of the day, inciting a wide range of questions that continued long after the proceedings ended. At the same time, it foreshadowed a number of fresh questions that may well be asked by academics, governments, and the public at large and at future RSNSW events.
To paraphrase CP Snow, Australia has the future in its sights, and SPACE holds great prospects for the next generation. Bearing a distinguished 50-year history of Space engagement and blessed with major Space-related facilities across the country, Australia can play a far-reaching role in the coming years, not only in science and technology but also in law and ethics.
We are reminded, in celebrating this 50th year since Apollo 11, that the Astronauts left a plaque on the moon that said, ‘We came in peace for all Mankind’. The adventure that lies before us is one in which Australia accepts both the challenge and its responsibilities. We can only hope that this sentiment guides our destiny, our fullest achievement, and remains our uppermost goal.
An interesting postscript to the Forum is the contribution by Dr Len Fisher OAM FRSN, speaking on the ABC Science Show (14 March 2020) about the tragedy of the commons—the competitive overuse of a communal resource threatening all users—that is now playing out in space.
The Council of the Royal Society of NSW confirmed the establishment of the Hunter Branch of the Society at its October 2019 meeting. This followed an inaugural meeting, held in Newcastle on 9 October 2019, at which a branch committee was elected.
The Hunter Branch of the Royal Society of New South Wales represents a source of specialised expertise, advice, and support for the various Governmental, industrial and community groupings comprising the Hunter region of NSW. It will:
Office-bearers elected at the third Annual General Meeting held on 16 March 2023 are:
Chair | Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA |
Secretary | Adjunct Professor Robert Whittaker AM FRSN |
Committee Members | Distinguished Emeritus Laureate Professor John Aitken FRSE FRSN FAHMS FAA (Immediate Past Chair) |
Dr Philip Bailey MRSN | |
Emeritus Scientia Professor Eugenie Lumbers AM FRSN FAA |
Please address enquiries to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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The Society has an active branch in the Southern Highlands of NSW. It conducts monthly lectures at Mittagong, mostly but not exclusively on scientific topics. Both members and visitors are most welcome to attend.
Information about the Branch's past and forthcoming events can be found in the Events menu of this website. The Branch's previous standalone website has now been decommissioned.
Office-bearers elected at the 2024 Annual General Meeting are:
Chair | Ms Anne Wood FRSN |
Vice-Chair | Air Cdre (Retd) Peter Eustace MRSN FRAeS |
Secretary | Ms Ann Fieldhouse MRSN |
Treasurer | Mr Michael Jonas MRSN |
Assistant Treasurer | Mr Douglas Mackinlay MRSN |
Committee Members | Dr Michael de Percy MRSN |
Mr Hubert Regtop MRSN (Technology) |
For further information about the talks presented at the Southern Highlands Branch, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by email.