{"id":15040,"date":"2022-02-22T06:39:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T06:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=15040"},"modified":"2022-02-22T06:39:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T06:39:26","slug":"800-million-to-strengthen-our-leadership-in-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2022\/02\/22\/800-million-to-strengthen-our-leadership-in-antarctica\/","title":{"rendered":"$800 million to strengthen our leadership in Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Morrison Government will send a clear international signal of Australia\u2019s world-leading Antarctic leadership with an $804.4 million investment over the next ten years to strengthen our strategic and scientific capabilities in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package would both strengthen Australia\u2019s national interests in Antarcticaand be a jobs boost for Australians through local procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe money we are investing in drone fleets, helicopters and other vehicles will enable us to explore areas of East Antarctica\u2019s inland that no country has ever been able to reach before,\u201d the Prime Minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy Government will continue to back our world-class scientists and expeditioners with the necessary funding and resources, because their research on the frozen continent and in the southern ocean is critically important to Australia\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur ongoing investment in Antarctica will directly support jobs at home, with Australian businesses, contractors, medical suppliers and providores reaping the benefits of local procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur $800 million commitment supports the next decade of Australia\u2019s operations in Antarctica and provides more opportunities for local businesses across Australia that support this work, especially in Tasmania.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new measures include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>$136.6 million to support Australia\u2019s inland traverse capability, critical charting activities, mobile stations, environmental protection and other core activities<\/li><li>$109 million to increase aerial and inland capability:<ul><li>$60.6 million for drone fleets and other autonomous vehicles able to map inaccessible and fragile areas of East Antarctic, establishing an \u2018Antarctic eye\u2019 with integrated censors and cameras feeding real-time information<\/li><li>$35 million for four new medium lift helicopters with a range of 550 kilometres that when launched from the Nuyina can access parts of the continent we could never reach previously<\/li><li>$13.6 million for capability development to further enhance Australia\u2019s reach inland including investigations into modern intracontinental aeroplanes<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>$44.2 million in additional shipping support to enable the RSV Nuyina to focus on extended science voyages<\/li><li>$17.4 million for marine science in the Southern Ocean and a new state-of-the-art krill aquarium in Hobart<\/li><li>$14.3 million for environmental management including a \u2018Cleaner Antarctica Strategy\u2019 to remove legacy waste and to establish new \u2018geographic information system\u2019 technology to support environmental management<\/li><li>$7.4 million for research focused on Antarctic ice sheet science to build global understanding of climate change impacts \u2013 improving our ability to support Pacific partners to monitor information about climate and oceans, including sea level rise<\/li><li>$3.4 million to enhance Australia\u2019s international engagement to support the rules and norms of the Antarctic Treaty system and promote Australia\u2019s leadership in Antarctic affairs<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The new funding package also includes $92.2 million a year from 2026-27 to further support Antarctic activities.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne said the package would reinforce Australia\u2019s commitment to the Antarctic Treaty system, and to promoting Tasmania as the gateway to East Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur investments are a clear marker of our enduring commitment to the Antarctic Treaty system, its scientific foundations, and Australia\u2019s leadership within it,\u201d Minister Payne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe investment will also strengthen Tasmania\u2019s status as an international science hub and pave the way for more opportunities in the years ahead as we continue to work on further projects such as the Antarctic Science and Research Precinct under the Hobart City Deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the package will significantly enhance our scientific capability which is at the heart of our leadership within the Treaty system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I sit down with world leaders to discuss the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean in the face of increasing pressures, the strategic importance of our scientific leadership is clear,\u201d Minister Ley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to ensure that the Antarctic remains a place of science and conservation, one that is free from conflict and which is protected from exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cScience is the key to that future. This investment, together with the window of discovery that is already being opened through RSV Nuyina, will reflect Australia\u2019s commitment to our sovereignty in the Australian Antarctic Territory and its leading voice in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Morrison Government will send a clear international signal of Australia\u2019s world-leading Antarctic leadership with an $804.4 million investment over the next ten years to strengthen our strategic and scientific capabilities in the region. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package would both strengthen Australia\u2019s national interests in Antarcticaand be a jobs boost for Australians &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2022\/02\/22\/800-million-to-strengthen-our-leadership-in-antarctica\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;$800 million to strengthen our leadership in Antarctica&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15041,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15040\/revisions\/15041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}