Maggi Barnard

CSIRO’s iconic Parkes radio telescope will get a new receiver that will significantly increase the amount of sky it can see at any one time, enabling new science and supporting local innovation in the space sector.

Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grants have been awarded for the development of a new receiver for the Dish, and a major upgrade for the Australia Telescope Compact Array near Narrabri in NSW.

A $1.15 million LIEF grant will support a $3 million project to build a sensitive receiver called a ‘cryoPAF’ for the Parkes radio telescope. The new cryoPAF will sit high above the Parkes telescope’s dish surface and receive radio signals reflected up from the dish. Its detectors will convert radio signals into electrical ones, which can be combined in different ways so that the telescope ‘looks’ in several different directions at once.

The cryoPAF will be cooled to -253°C to reduce ‘noise’ in its electrical circuits, enhancing the ability to detect weak radio signals from the cosmos at frequencies from 700 MHz to 1.9 GHz.

The grant was led by the University of Western Australia, which will coordinate construction and commissioning of the cryoPAF. CSIRO will design, build and install the instrument.

Professor Lister Staveley-Smith from The University of Western Australia node of ICRAR, who led the grant application, said the cryoPAF had three times more field of view than the previous instrument, allowing quicker and more complete surveys of the sky.

“The new receiver will help astronomers to study fast radio bursts and pulsar stars, and observe hydrogen gas throughout the Universe,” he said.

CSIRO has previously designed and built innovative phased array feeds for its ASKAP telescope in Western Australia, and a test version of the cryoPAF was used successfully on the Parkes telescope in 2016.

The Parkes Shire will welcome CEO of Youth Off The Streets and former NSW Australian of the Year, Father Chris Riley AM as the Parkes Shire’s 2020 Australia Day Ambassador.

Father Riley has worked with disadvantaged youth in a variety of roles including teacher, youth worker, probation officer, residential carer and principal of the charity Boy’s Town for more than 35 years.

He founded Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) in 1991 working with disadvantaged young people to encourage and facilitate positive life choices. As CEO, Father Riley oversees the operation of over 35 programs that employ over 180 staff and involve more than 250 volunteers.

Join the celebrations across the Parkes Shire, more information at www.visitparkes.com.au.

There are many crimes or offences. A lot are contained in the Crimes Act but many more are contained in other statutes both of the State and Federal Parliaments. The range of offences vary from murder down to parking.

Most criminal matters are commenced by the Police or the Director of Public Prosecutions by way of Court Attendance Notices (formerly known as Police Charges/ Summonses) and those charged with an offence will appear firstly before a magistrate sitting in a local court. In some cases, issues of bail may need to be considered.

Magistrates deal with over 90% of criminal matters summarily but the more serious offences are committed to the District Court or Supreme Court for trial before a judge and/or jury.

Unlike civil matters, criminal matters must be proved ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ having regard to the elements of the offence. This is when a solicitor’s professional knowledge becomes essential for the client (i.e. the person charged with an offence).

Police will normally have a fact sheet (which is not evidence but outlines the Police case) on the occasion of the first appearance before the court. With the fact sheet and instructions from the client, this will help the solicitor in deciding whether to advise the client to plead guilty or not guilty having regard to the elements of the offence. Sometimes an adjournment is necessary to obtain further information.

Once a plea is entered, the magistrate may adjourn the matter for hearing, sentence the client, commit the client for trial in a higher court or other options which may depend on the seriousness of the offence and the previous criminal history of the client.