Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

recognises, with the Australian Government, the effective protection of Antarctica that is already in place through global agreements;

(b)

notes that Australia is an active participant in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and plays a lead role in its Committee for Environmental Protection; and

(c)

calls on the Australian Government to pursue the lead role towards inscribing Antarctica on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage list.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—In response to the motion, the benefits of a World Heritage listing have already been achieved or exceeded in Antarctica through the international agreement that comprises the Antarctic treaty system. These include the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, the 1970 Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, the 1980 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the 1991 Protocol on Environment Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, otherwise called the ‘protocol’, and measures adopted under those instruments. In particular, the protocol declares Antarctica to be a natural reserve devoted to peace and science and ensures that Antarctica’s environment is very well protected.

Australia is an active participant in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and plays a lead role in its Committee for Environmental Protection. The listing mechanism of the convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage requires a country with territorial jurisdiction to make a nomination. The special legal and political status of Antarctica accommodating the positions of both those countries claiming territory and those which do not recognise such claims would present significant challenges in applying this listing mechanism and, as already stated, the benefits of World Heritage listing have already been achieved or exceeded in Antarctica. For those reasons we will not be supporting the motion.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—So this is Labor policy. The argument that the Manager of Government Business gives for Antarctica already being well protected under various mechanisms is an argument for saying how easy and logical it is for giving it world park status and for moving for World Heritage listing. The argument that it needs a country with territorial claim—effectively, Australia has the largest territorial claim for Antarctica but has suspended it as part of the Antarctic Treaty organisation—puts Australia in the box seat to be making this move. The motion calls for Australia to be a leader in conserving Antarctica and in giving it the status of the top World Heritage listed item on the planet. The government should be proceeding with this and the Greens intend to continue—because it is logical, appropriate and it would do this country proud—to take a lead in seeing that Antarctica gets this status.

Question agreed to.