Last Light at Siding Spring – Save the Anglo-Australian Telescope before mid-2027
The issue
Siding Spring Observatory, near Coonabarabran, is home to Australia’s largest optical telescope – the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). For fifty years this telescope has trained generations of Australian scientists, produced major discoveries about the universe, and established the Warrumbungle region as the heart of Australia’s first International Dark Sky Park.
The telescope’s current Commonwealth funding ends in mid-2027. Australia’s national investment in astronomy is now focused on much larger international projects, including the Square Kilometre Array in Western Australia and South Africa and access to the world’s biggest overseas telescopes. Australia’s decade-long partnership with the European Southern Observatory, which has given Australian scientists access to some of the world’s most powerful optical telescopes in Chile, also ends in 2027. As a result, there is currently no long-term commitment or clear plan for the future of the AAT after June/July 2027.
Without a clear pathway the telescope risks being mothballed without a viable reactivation plan, or worse. Coonabarabran, the Warrumbungle region and Australia would lose a national scientific icon, skilled jobs, education opportunities and the centrepiece of Australia’s premier dark-sky tourism destination.
We call on the Australian Government, the Minister for Industry and Science, and the relevant funding bodies to:
- Secure a clear, publicly stated pathway for the AAT and Siding Spring Observatory beyond mid-2027 that prioritises a sustainable hybrid model combining residual science capability where viable with heritage preservation, public access, education and regional tourism.
- Formally recognise the national heritage significance of the Anglo-Australian Telescope and Siding Spring Observatory.
- Engage immediately and constructively with the local community, Warrumbungle Shire Council and regional stakeholders so that decisions about the site’s future are made with full regard to the people and the region that have sustained it for half a century.
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The issue
Siding Spring Observatory, near Coonabarabran, is home to Australia’s largest optical telescope – the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). For fifty years this telescope has trained generations of Australian scientists, produced major discoveries about the universe, and established the Warrumbungle region as the heart of Australia’s first International Dark Sky Park.
The telescope’s current Commonwealth funding ends in mid-2027. Australia’s national investment in astronomy is now focused on much larger international projects, including the Square Kilometre Array in Western Australia and South Africa and access to the world’s biggest overseas telescopes. Australia’s decade-long partnership with the European Southern Observatory, which has given Australian scientists access to some of the world’s most powerful optical telescopes in Chile, also ends in 2027. As a result, there is currently no long-term commitment or clear plan for the future of the AAT after June/July 2027.
Without a clear pathway the telescope risks being mothballed without a viable reactivation plan, or worse. Coonabarabran, the Warrumbungle region and Australia would lose a national scientific icon, skilled jobs, education opportunities and the centrepiece of Australia’s premier dark-sky tourism destination.
We call on the Australian Government, the Minister for Industry and Science, and the relevant funding bodies to:
- Secure a clear, publicly stated pathway for the AAT and Siding Spring Observatory beyond mid-2027 that prioritises a sustainable hybrid model combining residual science capability where viable with heritage preservation, public access, education and regional tourism.
- Formally recognise the national heritage significance of the Anglo-Australian Telescope and Siding Spring Observatory.
- Engage immediately and constructively with the local community, Warrumbungle Shire Council and regional stakeholders so that decisions about the site’s future are made with full regard to the people and the region that have sustained it for half a century.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 3 August 2026