Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

DUNIAM (—) (): This is an extremely important matter, not just for those of us from the state of Tasmania but for all Australians who have an interest in the environment and foreign affairs and our place in this world as a leader when it comes to Antarctic science and the preservation and protection of the frozen continent. We are revered, globally, as a leader when it comes to Antarctica. I acknowledge my good friend and colleague Tasmanian Senator Carol Brown for her support on many matters. I am hoping today we can hear the Australian government echo my concerns around what is happening to the Australian Antarctic Division, and other great Tasmanians, like Senator Lambie, Senator Tyrrell, Senator Whish-Wilson and Senator Chandler, all share this concern.

The reality is that in Tasmania we have a proud history of being the home of Antarctic science. We are home to the CSIRO, we're home to the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and we're also home to the Australian Antarctic Division and have been for some time. Generally speaking, the support for that sector is what I would call multipartisan. There has been no voice absent in support of our strong Antarctic science sector, and that's for good reason. Additionally, I think it's important to point out that we're home to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR, the international treaty organisation that is entrusted with the management and guidance of policies related to the Antarctic. Those headquarters are located in Hobart. But, in recent times, there have been some troubling developments which concern me and many other Tasmanians greatly. Those concerns involve a reduction in the amount of funding available to the Australian Antarctic Division for them to do their vital work and be able to manage their scientific program, which rolls out over a number of years. Many of the projects that they run are multi-year projects. This reduction of funding—$25 million—is not an insignificant amount for a very important entity that does world-leading work. That money is being taken away by the Australian Labor government.

We are seen as a leader. All of our treaty partners and all the members of CCAMLR watch what we do with great interest. When we invest, they hail it as a wonderful achievement and something that other countries should follow suit in, but, when we cut, they look aghast at what exactly the Australian government is up to and what it is doing as a leader in this space. Of course, we don't really even have to mention it, but, as a leader in this space, there is a lot of interest in what happens in Antarctica, particularly from countries that don't necessarily share our interests, our democratic values and our views of how best to manage natural resources—and that is what we need to be vigilant about.

It was distressing to hear the denials, from both the Minister for the Environment and Water and the Leader of the Government in this place, about there being any cuts. They made these denials in the face of two emails from the director of the Antarctic Division saying that there will be job losses and that not all jobs will be safe. The denials came in the face of serious concerns being expressed by Mr Zac Batchelor from the Community and Public Sector Union, who has a very good handle of what's happening there at the AAD, and in the face of multiple concerns expressed by academics whose work is on the line. We know that there are jobs going, we know that there are vacancies that will not be filled and we know that that is sending a terrible message to our treaty partners and jeopardising our position as a leader in Antarctic science.

It also draws into question the Australian government's commitment to the Antarctic and Science Precinct, something that I, again, thought had multipartisan support—co-locating these scientific entities on the Hobart waterfront, near where the Nuyina, the new billion-dollar-plus icebreaker, will be berthing. All of this is now in question because the commitment by the Australian government has suddenly started to be watered down. The multipartisan, non-political support for Antarctic science—which has previously been viewed much in the same way we generally view foreign affairs and defence—has suddenly started to fritter away. I'm very concerned. So I'm looking forward to hearing the Australian Labor speakers in this debate. Their contributions, I hope, will clearly outline exactly what I've been calling for—that the Australian Labor Party politicians from Tasmania will be forcing the Australian Labor government to reverse these cuts and restore multipartisan support for this area. (Time expired)