>>> "Sustainability, Environment, Water,Population and Communities media releases" <enviropub...@erin.gov.au> 18/07/2011 >>>
SENATOR THE HON DON FARRELL PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND URBAN WATER MEDIA RELEASE 18 July 2011 REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY’S CAPACITY The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is being reviewed to assess its capacity to provide seasonal forecasting services and to respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters. Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, today said the review will ensure the Bureau can continue to deliver these essential services in the future. “For more than 100 years, the Bureau has performed a vital role in the provision of meteorological, climatic and other scientific information,” Senator Farrell said. “Last summer’s severe floods across many parts of Australia, in addition to tropical cyclones including Yasi and bushfires in Western Australia, demonstrated the large and increasing demand for Bureau services and the sustained pressure this can place on the agency. “More recently, the Japanese and New Zealand earthquakes and the Chilean volcano have highlighted the breadth of the Bureau’s work, which includes warning of potential tsunamis and of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. “The Government is determined to ensure that the Bureau continues to have the capacity to efficiently and effectively provide the services that Australians require now and in the future. “This capacity is particularly important in light of scientific advice that climate change could further increase the incidence and severity of Australia’s extreme weather events.” The review is being led by Ms Chloe Munro, who brings strong commercial skills and expertise in public policy and corporate finance through her senior leadership experience in the public and private sectors both in Australia and overseas. Ms Munro will be supported by relevant technical experts as required, and will seek input from key stakeholders to inform the review’s assessments and findings. The review is expected to present its findings to the government by the end of November 2011. The review’s terms of reference can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/about/bom. <<MEDIA RELEASE - REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY'S CAPACITY 2.pdf>> If you have received this transmission in error please notify us immediately by return e-mail and delete all copies. If this e-mail or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information in the e-mail or attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this email. ******************************************************************************** This email, including any attachments sent with it, is confidential and for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). This confidentiality is not waived or lost, if you receive it and you are not the intended recipient(s), or if it is transmitted/received in error. Any unauthorised use, alteration, disclosure, distribution or review of this email is strictly prohibited. The information contained in this email, including any attachment sent with it, may be subject to a statutory duty of confidentiality if it relates to health service matters. If you are not the intended recipient(s), or if you have received this email in error, you are asked to immediately notify the sender by telephone collect on Australia +61 1800 198 175 or by return email. You should also delete this email, and any copies, from your computer system network and destroy any hard copies produced. If not an intended recipient of this email, you must not copy, distribute or take any action(s) that relies on it; any form of disclosure, modification, distribution and/or publication of this email is also prohibited. Although Queensland Health takes all reasonable steps to ensure this email does not contain malicious software, Queensland Health does not accept responsibility for the consequences if any person's computer inadvertently suffers any disruption to services, loss of information, harm or is infected with a virus, other malicious computer programme or code that may occur as a consequence of receiving this email. Unless stated otherwise, this email represents only the views of the sender and not the views of the Queensland Government. **********************************************************************************
