MEDIA RELEASE
Senator the Hon. Ian Macdonald
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment
Weather for the Community - New Service Charter
Senator Ian Macdonald, Parliamentary Secretary for the Bureau of Meteorology, said the Charter was designed to ensure that high quality weather and climate services continued to be provided to the Australian public by focusing the Bureau's efforts on community needs and effective communication.
"Putting the Bureau's commitment to the community in writing gives all concerned a better picture of what will be achieved."
"The Service Charter will guarantee equitable access for all Australians so that it will not be more difficult or cost more to get services from the Bureau of Meteorology in country areas compared with the city," Senator Macdonald said.
The Bureau of Meteorology Charter sets out:
‘Who we are' - What sort of agency the Bureau is and what it does.
‘What we do' - What type of services the Bureau provides and how the
public can access them.
‘What you can expect from us' - What standard of service the Bureau aims
to provide and why, on occasions, it might find it
difficult to achieve that standard.
‘How you can contact us' - How the Bureau can be contacted for details of its
services and how technical faults can be reported.
"The Service Charter was developed by Bureau staff in all states and territories and in consultation with people and organisations that now use its services," Senator Macdonald said.
"The Charter will be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to reflect the needs of the community."
Senator Macdonald concluded the release of the Service Charter for the Community by inviting guests to use the Bureau's Weather by Fax service, Weathercall (an automated recorded telephone weather service), and its World Wide Web page.
Ends Friday 17th July 1998.
For further information, contact:
Philip Connole (Senator Macdonald's office): (07) 4771 3066 or 0411 042 813;
Clare Richards (Senator Macdonald's office): (02) 6277 3665 or 0419 698 275.