Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the Environment and Communications References Committee report into Australian Antarctic Division funding. This was a great Senate inquiry. It was done with collegiality and respect across all political parties and Independents involved in this Senate inquiry. It started off as being expected to be a short inquiry in reaction to some leaked reports to the ABC about staff cuts and funding cuts to the Australian Antarctic Division's operational budget, particularly to their science budget. It became a lot more than that; it went for nearly 15 months in the end, with, I think, seven hearings in total.

It was obvious to myself and other senators that the Australian Antarctic Division—and I acknowledge my Tasmanian colleagues, especially Senator Duniam and Senator Bilyk who attended all the hearings and took a very active part in the hearings—is such an important part of our community down in Hobart, not to mention the critical work it does down in the Antarctic. We didn't get a lot of time in recent years to question them through Senate estimates on so many important issues. There have been a number of very serious cultural questions raised at the AAD, and reports into culture and how that needs to be changed. The Australian Antarctic Division tends to come in at literally—and I mean literally—five minutes to 11 at nearly every estimates we have. This inquiry gave us a considerable amount time to prosecute the issues that were facing the division and how we might solve them.

I commend this report, which makes a number of very constructive recommendations, to the Senate. I think they were very broadly supported. As chair of the committee I had very few amendments on this report; Senator Grogan would know that! Indeed, the ones that were made were very constructive. In fact, not long after the report was made public we had the budget for this year handed down, and it was very pleasing to see that one of the key recommendations in this report—to increase the science funding for the Nuyina icebreaker base out at Hobart—was honoured; in fact, it was a key budget item in this year's budget. I thank the government for that and for listening not to the Senate but to the scientists.

For those who participated in the inquiry there were some heartbreaking stories especially from women at the AAD and early-career researchers about what they'd been through in recent years. I don't think I'm being controversial in saying there needs to be significant change at the division; it's already well underway and has been underway for years. There are a number of other very important recommendations in here. I don't have time to go through them all, but I am very keen to see a long-term integrated planning model at the AAD based on a decadal science plan.

The one thing I can say is it was consistent across all the evidence provided to the committee that the Australian Antarctic Division, and in fact our endeavours as a country in the Antarctic, needs a long-term plan—and I know that is being taken very seriously. There was some disappointment we didn't have that by the time the inquiry wrapped up, but there was significant personnel change at the AAD; there has been new recruitment there.

I'm pleased to say I am very optimistic about the future of AAD. I am very proud to say, as a Tasmanian and for all Tasmanians who participated and for all senators, that this was a great Senate inquiry. May there be more of them! I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.