Our Corporate Plan

Last updated:22 August 2024

Home > About > Our Corporate Plan Our Corporate Plan

CEO's Foreword

I am delighted to present the Geoscience Australia Corporate Plan 2024-25. This is our primary planning document and provides an understanding of our purpose, our objectives and our role.

Geoscience Australia is the national public-sector geoscience organisation. Commonwealth geoscience has played a vital role since the formation of the Australian Survey Office in 1910. Geoscience Australia came into being in 2001 when the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group (AUSLIG) merged with the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO). AGSO’s predecessor organisation the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (BMR) was established in 1946 and undertook the systematic geological and geophysical mapping of the continent to inform mineral exploration. AUSLIG, formed in 1987 when the Australian Survey Office joined with the Division of National Mapping, provided national geographic information and the provision of satellite imagery to industry and government, work that was started by the Australian Landsat Station in 1979 and was renamed to the Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) in 1986.

From our humble beginnings to now, Geoscience Australia continues to demonstrate its importance to the Earth sciences in Australia, and to build on the success of our work and generate new initiatives such as the Digital Atlas of Australia.

Launched in May 2024, the Digital Atlas of Australia is a national data initiative that equips governments, businesses and the community with the information they need to make data-driven decisions tailored to local economic, social and environmental settings. This work, led by Geoscience Australia, is an enduring resource that will serve the needs of government and Australians well into the future.

The success of our work, most notably in the Exploring for the Future program, has been recognised by government and in the 2024-25 Budget we were successful in obtaining significant new, long-term funding. Our key new programs are Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity, which will build on the successes and foundational work of Exploring for the Future, and the Australia-United States Partnership on Landsat Next, which significantly enhances our relationship with the United States government on Earth observation and continues our nearly 50-year relationship with the Landsat program. The next 12 months will lay the foundations on these initiatives designed to secure Australia’s economic future.

Our work in these areas, and particularly in critical minerals, is central to Australia achieving the government’s net-zero target and are key contributors to the Future Made in Australia agenda.

Geoscience Australia is well-placed to deliver on these initiatives as we head towards our strongest future yet.

Dr James Johnson FTSE
CEO, Geoscience Australia

2024–25 Corporate Plan [PDF 2.6 MB]