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.
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For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.