Challenges Facing Acoustics in Australia

The Australian Acoustical Society is a professional society with membership from all aspects of acoustics (including vibration). One important concern, from an investigation of the top ten issues for the Membership, was the future for acoustics in Australia as a whole. This was further investigated and two major areas were identified: changes in the approach of the government regarding support for publicly funded facilities and opportunities for education in acoustics. This paper provides an overview of the findings thus far and is intended to be an introduction to the workshop discussion on this topic.