Within the portfolio of Resources, Energy and Tourism, Geoscience Australia plays a critical role by producing first-class geoscientific information and knowledge. This can enable the government and the community to make informed decisions about the exploration for resources, management of the environment, the safety of critical infrastructure and the resultant wellbeing of all Australians.
Key priorities for Geoscience Australia in 2008-09 are to:
- Deliver the geoscience component of the Australian Tsunami Warning System.
- Promote the petroleum prospectivity of Australia. In particular, provide scientific and technical support to Government for the 2009 offshore petroleum acreage release.
- As part of the Offshore Energy Security Program, acquire geophysical and other data to assess the hydrocarbon potential of the Mentelle and Perth basins in south-west Western Australia.
- As part of the Offshore Energy Security Program, assess the petroleum potential of remote eastern frontier basins.
- Under the Onshore Energy Security Program, provide technical advice to Government in relation to uranium, thorium, petroleum and geothermal energy.
- Provide marine and coastal geoscience inputs for the Department of the Environment, Water Heritage and the Arts for the development of regional marine plans and to assist in the management of Australia's estuaries and offshore marine environment.
- Develop and promote a carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) program, including offshore acreage release and assessment.
- Deliver the third year of the five-year Onshore Energy Security Program, including acquisition and interpretation of geophysical datasets, regional geology investigations and integrated commodity studies.
- In support of the Attorney-General's Department, deliver the first year of the new four-year Critical Infrastructure Modelling and Analysis Program to move from a pilot program to operational status.
- Promote the minerals prospectivity of Australia. In particular, present scientific and technical information at key international and domestic exploration and mining conventions.
- Complete large-scale topographic mapping to support emergency management mitigation through collaboration with state emergency services organisations and land information agencies, local government and Australian Government agencies.
- As part of the Offshore Energy Security Program, complete Phase 2 of a new Petroleum Data Access Facility for the petroleum industry.
- Deploy the Geoscience Australia component and coordinate the deployment of complementary state and territory components of the Global Navigation Satellite System part of the AuScope National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy program.
- Provide data from the IRS-P6 (Indian Space Research Organisation's satellite) to Australia Government agencies and partners, according to the Landsat Contingency Plan.
