The Australian Government released the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan in April 2016. The strategy and action plan set out Australia’s national Antarctic interests and actions to advance these interests over the next 20 years. The Department’s Australian Antarctic Division coordinates the implementation of the strategy and action plan. An interdepartmental committee, led by the Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, oversees its implementation. During 2016–17, we made significant progress towards achieving the year one commitments under the strategy: In October 2015, the Government announced that it planned to replace the Aurora Australis with a new icebreaker by 2020. The Government has finalised the contract arrangements and work on building Australia’s new icebreaker has started. To provide certainty for the Australian Antarctic Program, the Government has established sustainable, ongoing funding of $20 million a year for the program over the next 10 years. On 14 October 2016, the Government announced that, in addition to the $2.2 billion invested to support the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, it would invest $50 million in a new state-of-the-art research station on Macquarie Island. The new station will be the most advanced of its type in the Southern Ocean, capable of supporting the full scope of priority research and ensuring a permanent and recurring presence on the island. Due to its position as the only base between Australia and Antarctica, Macquarie Island is an important global monitoring location for scientific research, including monitoring southern hemisphere weather and climatic data. The new station guarantees continued support for high-priority science and long-term monitoring by the science community, including the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.
The Australian Government released the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan in April 2016. The strategy and action plan set out Australia’s national Antarctic interests and actions to advance these interests over the next 20 years. The Department’s Australian Antarctic Division coordinates the implementation of the strategy and action plan. An interdepartmental committee, led by the Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, oversees its implementation. During 2016–17, we made significant progress towards achieving the year one commitments under the strategy: In October 2015, the Government announced that it planned to replace the Aurora Australis with a new icebreaker by 2020. The Government has finalised the contract arrangements and work on building Australia’s new icebreaker has started. To provide certainty for the Australian Antarctic Program, the Government has established sustainable, ongoing funding of $20 million a year for the program over the next 10 years. On 14 October 2016, the Government announced that, in addition to the $2.2 billion invested to support the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, it would invest $50 million in a new state-of-the-art research station on Macquarie Island. The new station will be the most advanced of its type in the Southern Ocean, capable of supporting the full scope of priority research and ensuring a permanent and recurring presence on the island. Due to its position as the only base between Australia and Antarctica, Macquarie Island is an important global monitoring location for scientific research, including monitoring southern hemisphere weather and climatic data. The new station guarantees continued support for high-priority science and long-term monitoring by the science community, including the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.
annual-report-2016-17-annual-performance-statements.docx