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Dr. WH (Bill) Johnston
11 Moss Street
COOK ACT 2614.
Email: wjohnston@grapevine.com.au
Contact mobile: 0405384000
26th March, 2015
The Hon. Bob Baldwin MHR
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Mr Baldwin,
Re: Bureau of Meteorology review.
I recently sent you, with a copy to Dr. Andrew Leigh MP, member for Fraser, a submission in
relation to the above review, which you are calling ‘A technical advisory forum on climate records’.
I’m unconvinced the Forum is not a cheap political-fix for a problem that’s been encouraged to
fester for decades and which has cost the Australian economy billions of dollars.
I’m appalled also that Dr. Andrew Leigh, in his recent mail-out chose again to ask his
constituents to affirm his unproved belief in global warming, and his preposterous idea that
the Labor Party, with help from the Greens, can change the world’s climate!
The submission that I sent took several weeks to compile. It is farcical that your ‘forum’ shepherded
by Chairman Dr. Ron Sandland is going to listen to ‘presentations’ from Bureau staff for half-ofone day; then have a discussion before closing-off for another year! The issues are far more
complex than that. They demand close investigation.
Irrespective of his statistical qualifications, there is an obvious conflict-of-interest in having
CSIRO’s Dr. Ron Sandland stand as Chair. Sandland was one of the designers of CSIRO’s silo
approach to science, so-called flagships. That structure effectively bought the Bureau under
CSIRO’s umbrella of influence, destroying its autonomy.
The Bureau’s current head, Dr. Rob Vertessy was formerly chief of CSIRO’s Division of Land and
Water. He no-doubt knows Sandland personally, and there is a strong possibility that Sandland
recommended him for his current position.
The linkages are strong and obvious. A Forum overseen by Sandland is like the right-hand
reviewing the left!
It is time this nonsense stopped and the Bureau ceased in its role as a lobbying organisation.
There is rottenness in climate science; and it’s vital that the Government clears the air by
conducting a fully independent review of the Bureau’s activities.
I trust my submission will be taken seriously.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Bill Johnston
cc. Dr Andrew Leigh MP