Media release
From: Parliament of AustraliaAntarctic report released
The Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories tabled its report, Australia’s Antarctic Territory: Report on the Inquiry into the Importance of Antarctica to Australia’s National Interests.
Committee Chair, Alicia Payne MP, said, ‘This inquiry has highlighted the pivotal role that Antarctica plays in advancing Australia’s scientific, environmental, strategic, and economic priorities. This role is made ever more pressing by the current rate of man-made climate change and the crucial function Antarctica has in regulating our climate systems.’
‘Science and conservation are the currencies of influence in Antarctica’, Ms Payne said. ‘It is incredibly important that Australia continues to invest in world leading research and support Antarctic science’.
The Committee has made 13 recommendations relating to Australia’s relationship with the Antarctic Treaty System, supporting conservation and scientific research, and the beneficial position of Hobart as Australia’s Antarctic Gateway.
The report considers the significance of ongoing funding stability for Antarctic research institutions and the need to end the use of terminating measures. The Committee has also recommended that the Commonwealth Government prioritise Australia’s icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina, for scientific research, and lease or acquire a second vessel to undertake the core resupply of Australia’s Antarctic stations on an ongoing basis.
The full report of the inquiry can be found on the Committee’s inquiry webpage.
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Professor Juan Francisco Salazar is Professor of Communication, Media and Environment, and Interim Director at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University
Professor Alessandro Toffoli is a Professor in Ocean Engineering at the University of Melbourne