The ATNF Futures 2030 Workshop is being held on February 18 and 19 to gather input from the community to develop a vision for Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, with a focus on the ASKAP site. The workshop will help shape the future of the ATNF by sharing what science and technology is most important in the post-2030 era. With a new Australian decadal plan for astronomy released in 2025, the community has agreed on a set of high-priority science questions for the next decade, many of which can be addressed by radio astronomical technology and observations.

Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia, where the ASKAP radio telescope is situated, is one of the best sites for radio astronomy observations in the world. ATNF and the Australian astronomy community should therefore take advantage of its unique environment and infrastructure. The outputs of community and internal CSIRO consultations will be used to inform ATNF’s 10-year science and technology strategy to enable transformational research and engineering for the world’s astronomical community. The image above shows Cath Trott, ATNF Chief Scientist, setting the scene for the workshop at the beginning of the opening session.