Since 1996 there has been no professional asteroid search in the Southern Hemisphere and this is raised as a concern in the latest British report.

I am informed that, due partly to recent dismal performance (in astronomy -- not the Olympics), Australia currently rates a poor third to Chile and South Africa for locating the all-important Southern Hemisphere Spaceguard Telescope. Adding to the woes for Australian astronomers, the British Task Force report could tip the balance and push Britain into joining the European Southern Observatory (based in Chile). They would then have little choice but to pull out of the long-standing Anglo-Australian Observatory.

Physicist and author of popular books on cosmology and the origin of life, Paul Davies, shares my sentiments about the Australian government. Davies now lives in South Australia and over the past few years he has been pointing out the asteroid impact hazard to Australian politicians. He told SPACE.com "Britain's enlightened attitude to the impact threat stands in stark contrast to the policy in this country. Australia scrapped its inexpensive and highly successful asteroid research project just as the rest of the world was waking up to the importance of tracking the dangerous asteroids."

"There is an urgent need to reinstate an observational program in the Southern Hemisphere. I sincerely hope that the Australian government will for once remove its blinkers and cooperate with other nations to help protect the planet from the worst ecological threat we face."