Report to the Director on the Meeting held at Narrabri on Friday 27 November 1998. A welcome was extended to new members of ATUC attending their first meeting, Dr T. Bourke, Dr J. Chapman, Dr D. Jauncey, Dr C. Lineweaver, Ms M. Putman, Dr D Rayner, Dr I. Stewart. Dr A. Wright. We thank them for their input and wish them well in the future. Apologies have been received from Mr B. Gaensler, Dr C. Heisler, Dr C. Smith, Dr A. Wright.
Detailed comments are to be actively sought, as being of more value than simple ranking.
For a decrease of 20 percent in funding ATUC feels that all methods of budget saving should be pursued which avoid cuts to the core scientific capabilities that the ATNF supplies to its User Community or significant staff reductions. ATUC considers any Major Facilities reduction detrimental to international collaborations. ATUC recommends an improvement of the interference database to make it more accessible and to include, as far as possible, time and strength information. ATUC will endorse a proposal to interrupt scheduled observation at ATCA to pursue pointing assessments and appreciates the intention of the OIC to use in the first instance the period between the hardware and software stows on the telescope. It appears that a relaxation of the software limit could degrade observations but would not compromise safety concerns.