Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm proud to reflect on the fact that my home, Hobart, is the gateway to the Antarctic, serving as it does as the nerve centre for international scientific research and conservation efforts in the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean. This is no small matter, resting as it does on the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which is in itself a remarkable international achievement. The treaty, negotiated during the Cold War, set aside the frozen continent for the purposes of conservation, peace and science, and Australia has been there right from the start, not just as an original signatory to the treaty; for more than 100 years our nation has played a leading role in Antarctic exploration, science and conservation efforts.

In Tasmania, we feel a connection to the Antarctic more keenly than perhaps anywhere else on the planet, not least because both Mawson and Amundsen used Hobart's port during their famous expeditions in the early 20th century. Indeed it was from Hobart that Amundsen announced to the world that he'd reached the South Pole, while today the Antarctic research and supply vessels of many nations are a familiar sight on the Hobart waterfront. Moreover, flights to the Antarctic from Hobart pass overhead Kingston, south of Hobart, which is home to the Australian Antarctic Division, and key international organisations, such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, are headquartered in the capital, regularly bringing together delegations and diplomats with an interest in Antarctica from all over the world.

It's no wonder that Australian governments at all levels regularly proclaim Hobart as the gateway to the Antarctic. But, of course, it didn't become so by accident. To maintain this status requires detailed planning and sustained strategic investment of the type that now appears worryingly absent. For example, the recent push for $25 million in savings in the Antarctic Division is galling. Of course the AAD should ensure their spending isn't wasteful—as should all agencies that are trusted with public money—but the recent media reports suggesting that field research on the continent is being reviewed and that two of our permanent bases will be understaffed this summer are, frankly, alarming to say the least. All of this comes at a time when Antarctic sea ice is at record lows, Antarctic temperatures are at record highs and the increased impacts of climate change are being felt globally.

All of this would be bad enough, but the problems don't end there, as evidenced by the disrepair of Macquarie Wharf on account of years of state government disinterest and underinvestment. It was understandable then that the former head of AAD recently warned that the state of the wharves was undermining Australia's ability to meet current Antarctic research and support demand, let alone fulfil the promise of Hobart as a gateway city. However, the state government won't proceed on wharf upgrades without federal funding, and the TasPorts proposal before Infrastructure Australia appears to be in limbo. What's more, when the Prime Minister came to Hobart in April this year to announce $240 million of funding for the AFL stadium at Macquarie Point, next to nothing was detailed about the Antarctic and Science Precinct nor the upgrade of the wharf. The most basic of planning would have ensured that our new $529 million ice breaker could fit under the Tasman Bridge to be refuelled at Selfs Point, but it doesn't fit, and the vessel will now have to travel the 1,200 kilometre round trip to Burnie to refuel.

Australia's Antarctic programs are obviously vital in helping us understand the impact of climate change. A lack of planning and investment in the programs won't just endanger this research; it may also damage our international standing because the physical presence of Australian facilities and personnel in Antarctica is essential if we are to responsibly uphold our treaty obligations and maintain our credibility as a leading nation in the Antarctic. Tasmania has the world's best Antarctic scientists and other Antarctic experts, but, sadly, they're skating on thin ice right now due to years of poor government policy and planning and chronic government underinvestment. This must be turned around as a genuine national priority. To that end, I call on all levels of government to make meaningful decisions and investments to enhance our Antarctic infrastructure significantly, to bolster on-ice and at-sea research and to demonstrably honour our very important Antarctic Treaty obligations.