Radio astronomy in Australia is at a critical juncture. As SKA-Low nears completion, other key research instruments around the country are being significantly upgraded; there are now more components, procedures, and personnel involved in the production of our radio data products than ever before.

Though significant in contribution, Australia’s radio astronomy industry has historically been small in size—driven by individuals with broad skills, deep institutional knowledge, and long tenures. As we enter this new era of scale, it is critical to understand the socio-technical factors that affect the radio interferometry data in Australia today, how they are likely to change as this next generation of personnel enters the field, and how this might affect the quality and applicability of the data they produce.

Herein, we present findings from targeted interviewing of individuals who play a role in capturing and pre-processing radio astronomy data across Australia about their current workflows and planned changes—spanning those working in software development, data analysis, operations, and leadership across CSIRO, several universities, and SKA-related entities from SKAO to AusSRC. Looking at procedures for technical development, collaboration, prioritisation, validation, upskilling, knowledge transfer, and even succession planning, analysis showed healthy evolution in response to scale in some areas, while others seemed to diverge in ways that suggest a loss of lessons learned.

We conclude with material recommendations from comparable fields of technical work, and by inviting audience members to participate in future phases of the project.