Disclosure Australia (AURA) - No 23 - May 2005

Magazine Overview

This issue of DISCLOSURE AUSTRALIA, titled "NEWSLETTER TWENTY-THREE MAY 2005," focuses on the historical engagement of the Australian Federal Parliament with the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and flying saucers. The newsletter compiles a series of parliamentary questions and answers spanning from 1952 to 1968, with additional references up to 1996. The project behind this newsletter aimed to document these parliamentary interactions to inform future lobbying efforts regarding UFOs.

Australian Federal Parliament Questions and Answers

The newsletter details specific instances where Members of Parliament raised questions about flying saucers and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) with various ministers, primarily from the Department of Air and Defence.

1952-1953: Early Inquiries

• August 13, 1952: Mr. Downer questioned the Minister for Air about the number of flying saucer reports, departmental investigations, and communication with US authorities. He also inquired if the minister shared the opinion that they might be from another sphere or a form of espionage, or if they were merely an "aerial version of the Loch Ness monster."
• Mr. McMahon responded that he had no Air Force report, shared the view that reports were likely imagination, doubted communication with the US, and promised a thorough investigation. He speculated that rumors might stem from political propaganda.
• Comments note that RAAF policy files for this period were not yet commenced, but other related files were identified.
• November 20, 1953: Mr. Downer again questioned the Minister of Air, noting a previous "facetious reply" and asking about attention given to flying saucers in Canada and England. He inquired if similar investigations were contemplated by the RAAF or if the minister still viewed them as a psychological problem.
• Mr. McMahon reiterated his view that it was more a psychological issue, acknowledging reports received by the RAAF, RAF, and RCAF, but stated the phenomena were not yet identified. He mentioned a peculiar correlation with meteor flashes and suggested optical illusions. He also noted that aerodynamic problems for flying saucers had not been solved, though future aircraft might be capable of such flight.
• Comments indicate relevant documents were found, including a letter from the Air Vice Marshal discussing two concepts of flying saucers: "mysterious missiles from outer space" and the "flying saucer" as an aircraft designer's concept.

1959-1960s: Continued Scrutiny

• November 24, 1959: Mr. Cash asked the Minister for Air if Australian and overseas air forces exchanged information on UFOs and if RAAF intelligence officers investigated recent sightings over Papua and New Guinea.
• Mr. Osborne confirmed information exchange with the US Air Force and stated that all well-reported sightings in Australia were investigated. He noted that most sightings turned out to be weather balloons, aircraft, or stars, with only about 3% unexplained. He cited an instance where a reported sighting was identified as the planet Venus.
• Comments mention that this question was triggered by reports from Papua New Guinea and that five Australian UFO groups had sent a letter to the Prime Minister, suggesting a possible explanation involving a secret weapon of a foreign power. The unexplained rate was noted as 3%.
• October 13, 1960: Mr. Haylen directed a non-combatant question to the Minister for Defence regarding a Tasmanian clergyman's sighting of five flying saucers and a mother ship, and a statement by the president of the Victorian Flying Saucer Association.
• Mr. Townley confirmed seeing the clergyman's statement but not the second one.
• October 18, 1960: Senator O'Byrne questioned the Minister representing the Minister for Defence about eye-witness reports from Tasmania and Victoria, asking if they were accepted officially and if investigations were carried out.
• Senator Spooner stated that the reports were read with reservation and that the Minister for Defence did not accept them as something requiring a remodelling of the defence program.
• October 20, 1960: Mr. Duthie asked the Minister for Air about unidentified flying objects sighted in Australia, specifically a detailed description from Cressy, Tasmania.
• Mr. Osborne confirmed that information on well-reported cases was furnished to his department and was being examined. He stated that information was exchanged with the RAF and USAF. He reiterated that nearly all reports were explainable, with only 3-4% unexplained, and that these did not support the belief of interlopers.
• Comments note these questions stemmed from a Reverend Browning's observation in Cressy, and the unexplained rate was now described as 3-4%.
• May 23, 1963: Senator Cavanagh asked the Minister representing the Minister for Air about a dossier of investigations on reported sightings of unidentified flying objects.
• Senator Wade confirmed that the Department of Air obtained information on well-reported cases and maintained a dossier. He reiterated that nearly all reports were explainable, with only 3-4% unexplained, and that these did not support beliefs of visitors from other places.
• A comment notes that three years later, the same response regarding weather balloons and the 3-4% rate was still being given.
• August 11, 1964: Mr. Benson questioned the Minister for Air about radar readiness in the northern area and reports of radar units going out of operation on weekends.
• Mr. Howson confirmed seeing the reports but stated that radar stations were not manned continuously and that constant watch was not deemed necessary at that time due to perceived threats.
• A comment notes that despite the heading, no UFOs were mentioned in the text.
• August 11, 1964: Mr. Harding questioned the Minister for Air about reports of unidentified objects flying over north Queensland and northern Australia, asking if sightings were imaginary and about plans for positive identification.
• Mr. Howson stated that while they could not positively rule out enemy aircraft, not more than 3% of investigated sightings involved anything other than birds, meteors, or other objects. He doubted the objects were other than believed and questioned the allocation of resources for radar stations.
• A comment highlights the statement that they "cannot state positively that these were not enemy aircraft" and notes the unexplained rate is back at 3%.
• August 20, 1964: Senator McClelland asked about the number and areas of unidentified aircraft reports received that year and radar availability for identification/interception.
• Senator Wade provided six reports from various locations (Mangoora, Cocos Islands, Longreach, Barrow Island) and stated that the RAAF investigated each, with a logical explanation following.
• A comment notes the heading was "unidentified aircraft" not specifically UFOs, and that Longreach was the location of a UFO report on July 23, 1964.
• November 24, 1965: Mr. L R Johnson asked about records kept regarding flying saucer sightings, investigations by RAAF or other authorities, reports by RAAF/civil aviation personnel, consultations with other countries, and speculation about origins.
• Mr. Howson detailed the "Report on Aerial Object Observed" form, stated that RAAF sightings since 1960 were recorded (with numbers provided for each year, showing an increase in 1965), confirmed reports from RAAF/civil aviation personnel (mostly attributed to meteors), confirmed consultations with other countries, and stated "No" to speculation about origins from other planets.
• Comments provide a count of raw reports from RAAF files for 1960-1965.
• June 4, 1968: Mr. Stokes asked the Minister for Air about a government grant for research into unidentified flying objects and recent sightings in Victoria.
• Mr. Freeth acknowledged the representation and stated the matter was being considered, but offered "not very great encouragement" as no precise determination had been made about the reality of UFO reports.
• He also noted that the United States was making investigations and hoped to provide a reply soon.
• Comments mention that sightings in the Wonthaggi district of Victoria could not be located in RAAF files.

Beyond 1968: Later Inquiries and Government Stance

• October 10, 1984: Senator G J Evans, Attorney General, responded to a question about an unidentified flying object in Cunnamulla, Queensland. He stated that the Minister for Defence was advised there were no delta-winged RAAF aircraft in the area and no RAAF reports of such a sighting, suggesting it might have been "Beryl flying off course."
• 1996 Parliamentary Questions: The newsletter includes three parliamentary "Questions on notice" from 1996:
• Mrs Johnston (Science, Industry, and Technology): Asked about the number of UFO reports received since 1994, investigation procedures, and unexplained cases. Mr. McGauran responded that his department received no reports, but CSIRO received about 30 per year, though CSIRO did not undertake investigations, and many reports lacked sufficient detail.
• Ricky Johnston (Defence): Asked similar questions about UFO reports. Mr. McLachlan stated the ADF ceased recording and investigating UFOs in December 1993 and referred inquiries to civilian UFO research organizations.
• Mrs Johnston (Transport and Regional Development): Asked about UFO reports received by her department. Mr. Sharp responded with "Nil," "Not applicable," and "Not applicable."

Other Project Research on Files

The project has been digitizing and summarizing RAAF sighting files from the National Archives of Australia (NAA). Files mentioned include those related to "Unusual Sightings," "Maritime and air incidents/contacts," "Earth satellites, space vehicles and UFOs-general," and "Shadow organisation-Top secret German." The project also uncovered a UFO record in the University of Adelaide's archives from 1954.

Lobbying the Government

The newsletter concludes by posing the question of how the project can gain insight from these parliamentary questions and answers to effectively lobby the Federal Government to reveal its knowledge of the UFO phenomenon.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout the documented parliamentary exchanges is the consistent official stance that most UFO sightings are explainable by conventional means, with a small percentage remaining unexplained. The editorial stance of the newsletter appears to be one of documenting these historical interactions and potentially advocating for greater government transparency on the UFO phenomenon, as indicated by the "Lobbying the Government" section and the overall purpose of the project.

This document is a newsletter from Disclosure Australia, issue number 23, dated May 2005. It focuses on the historical context of UFO sightings generating parliamentary questions in Australia and explores methods for lobbying the government regarding UFO knowledge.

Parliamentary Questions and UFO Sightings (1952-1968)

The newsletter examines parliamentary questions and answers from 1952 to 1968, noting that these were frequently prompted by recent UFO sightings. Specific examples cited include:

• 13/8/52: A question regarding "the number of flying saucers that are alleged to have been seen."
• 24/11/59: A question concerning "reports of recent sightings of mystery objects in the skies of Papua and New Guinea."
• 20/10/60: A question about "an object seen at Cressy."
• 11/8/64: A question raised "In view of report of unidentified Flying Objects flying over North Queensland and northern Australia."

Decline in Parliamentary Questions

The publication suggests that high-profile UFO reports, which previously generated such questions, are now much rarer. Consequently, it is deemed unlikely that a modern-day Member of Parliament (MP) or Senator would raise a question in parliament in this manner. Another factor contributing to the past frequency of questions was the ability to seek information from the official Government UFO agency, the Department of Air. However, the newsletter states that there is no longer any Government Agency that accepts reports of UFOs. Therefore, any question asked today would likely receive the same answer as a series of questions posed in 1996 by Mrs Johnston.

The $64,000 Question: Lobbying the Government

The newsletter frames the challenge of getting the government to reveal its knowledge of the UFO phenomenon as "The $64,000 question." It moves beyond the idea of parliamentary questions to ask how else the government could be lobbied to fully and openly disclose its extent of knowledge on the subject. Disclosure Australia explicitly welcomes views and suggestions from readers on how this might be achieved.

Contacting Disclosure Australia

Readers interested in contributing their views or suggestions are provided with contact details for Disclosure Australia:

• Address: PO Box 783, Jimboomba 4280, Australia
• Email: [email protected]

The newsletter also includes a file path reference at the bottom, suggesting it is part of a larger collection of documents related to organizations like BUFORA, NICAP, and APRO, and was likely generated from a text file in May 2005.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the historical and contemporary challenges of engaging with government on the topic of UFOs. The editorial stance is one of seeking public input and exploring proactive methods for government disclosure, reflecting a persistent interest in uncovering official information about the UFO phenomenon. The publication appears to be a platform for discussion and information sharing among UFO researchers and enthusiasts in Australia.