Operations at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation were unaffected by the Y2K bug. HIFAR, the research reactor at Lucas Heights, was in a normal operating cycle last night, primarily irradiating materials used to make nuclear medicines. Because it was built in 1958, it is not dependent upon computers for its operations.
However, following a planned course of action, the reactor was shut down from 11.50 pm until 12.30 am to confirm that external water, power and telecommunications services remained available. Normal operations were resumed at 12.30 am.