[Australia]: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Media Centre

[Owen]

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Overview​

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is a department of the Australian Government responsible for consolidating the Government’s efforts to drive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness by bringing together industry, energy, resources and science. The portfolio also includes government agencies and bodies such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian Space Agency, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Agency (NOPSEMA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Energy Market Operator, the Australian Energy Market Commission, the National Measurement Institute, IP Australia, AusIndustry, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Energy Regulator, the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, the Clean Energy Regulator, the Office of the Chief Scientist, the Anti-Dumping Commission, the Australian Building Codes Board, the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency, Industry Innovation and Science Australia, the Critical Minerals Office, the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator, the Major Projects Facilitation Agency, the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination, the Office of Supply Chain Resilience, the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Questacon (the National Science and Techonology Centre) and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand. The functions of the department are broadly classified into the following matters as laid out in an Administrative Arrangements Order: Energy policy National energy market, including electricity, gas and liquid fuels National fuel quality standards Renewable energy Renewable energy target policy, regulation and co-ordination Renewable energy technology development Industrial energy efficiency Energy efficiency Energy-specific international obligations and activities Industry and manufacturing policy, excluding workplace relations and taxation matters Technology policy, development and diffusion and safe and responsible use Critical technology policy development and coordination of information and communications technology industry development Industrial research and development, and commercialisation Biotechnology, excluding gene technology regulation Enterprise improvement Business entry point management and business services coordination Provision of B2G and G2G authentication services Trade marks, plant breeders' rights and patents of inventions and designs Food and beverage processing industry policy Country of origin labelling Co-ordination of supply chain resilience policy Anti-dumping Weights and measures standards Civil space issues Analytical laboratory services Science policy Science engagement and awareness Collaborative research in science and technology Co-ordination of science research policy Commercialisation and utilisation of public sector research Mineral and energy resources, including oil and gas, extraction and upstream processing, remediation and decommissioning Administration of export controls on rough diamonds, uranium and thorium Mineral and energy resources research, science and technology Geoscience research and information services including geodesy, mapping, remote sensing, groundwater and spatial data co-ordination Radioactive waste management International science engagement Economy-wide digital policy and co-ordination Major projects facilitation Economic security and sovereign capability as it relates to Australian industry, science and resources Standards and conformance policy for domestically and internationally traded goods

 

[Owen]

AUSTRALIA KEEPS WATCH​

21 April 2007

Geoscience Australia’s infrastructure network continues to monitor natural and man-made hazards in Australia and around the globe. It delivers real-time geophysical data to stakeholders across Australia, in our Pacific region and throughout the rest of the world. The network includes: The Australian National Seismograph Network The Australian Man-Made Hazard Monitoring Network The Australian Geomagnetic Observatory Network The expansive network undertakes a diverse range of services, including seismic monitoring, man-made hazard monitoring, geomagnetic monitoring and satellite earth monitoring. Providing verified, authentic data across such a large geographical area, while running many different monitoring services, is an enormous feat. Maintaining the vast infrastructure network to support work is also time consuming, costly and logistically challenging. We continue to operate 11 man-made hazard monitoring facilities across Australia, including 6 seismic stations (to monitor for underground explosions), 4 infrasound stations (to monitor for atmospheric explosions) and one hydroacoustic station (to monitor for underwater explosions). If any nation undertakes weapons tests of a large magnitude within Australia's region, these tests should expect to be detected by Geoscience Australia. "In god we trust, all others we monitor."

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