AURA CEASES ITS WORK ON THE DISCLOSURE PROJECT

AN ANNOUNCEMENT DATED 4 MAY 2007

As you know, AURA in Adelaide has been driving the very successful Disclosure Australia Project for AUFORN for several years now.

AURA met recently for one of its regular business meetings and one item on the agenda was a discussion about closing down AURA’s involvement in the Disclosure Australia Project. I have been asked to
advise you of the outcome.

With the exception of “lobbying” the Federal Government, AURA has met all of its other Mission Statement aims for the Project. AURA therefore
resolved that it would cease its role as Secretariat for the Disclosure Australia Project as from today.

On the subject of “lobbying.” Previous attempts by Australian UFO researchers were made in a climate where:
(1) There was a Federal Government agency, ie the
RAAF, responsible for investigating UFO reports;
(2) Some members of Parliament had a personal interest
in the topic, and
(3) Spectacular UFO cases regularly appeared in the
mass media.

Today, none of these above three items are true. AURA therefore sees no practical way to “lobby” the Federal Government at this point in time. In addition, last year when AURA asked Australian UFO groups and individual researchers for their views on whether or not they saw a way to “lobby” Government, they said they did not. Also when asked if they would put money into hiring a professional lobbyist, no one said yes.

Dom will continue to maintain the current Disclosure Australia website on behalf of AUFORN as it contains much useful information. Newsletter 31 will remain the last AURA written Project newsletter. The next “Revelations” column which appears in the UFOlogist will be the last. The hard copy NAA files which AURA paid for will remain here in Adelaide, accessible upon request.

AUFORN has been advised of this action by AURA and has been asked to decide how they now wish to further progress the AUFORN Disclosure Project.

Now doubt, individual researchers will continue to research and publish their findings on the topic of the Australian Government’s involvement in the UFO phenomenon. However, this will be outside the scope of the Disclosure Australia Project which now reverts to an AUFORN not AURA Project.

On behalf of all the AURA members I wish to thank you for your association with AURA on this Project.

Keith Basterfield