Australia commits $139m to Antarctic research
CANBERRA: The Australian government on Thursday committed 208.8 million Australian dollars (about $138.56 million) in funding over the next seven years for Antarctic research.
The funding will expand the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) and create jobs, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt said in a joint statement with Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins and Senators Carol Brown and Richard Dowling.
The package includes designated funding for the RSV Nuyina, the AAP’s flagship research vessel, to undertake more voyages to deepen understanding of Antarctica and the impacts of climate change on the Southern Ocean, the statement said.
“Better understanding Antarctica means better understanding climate change and its impacts on our economy and our communities, and that’s what this investment is all about,” the statement added.
The funding will also support up to 30 new technical and scientific jobs at the headquarters of the Australian Antarctic Division, which oversees the AAP, in the island state of Tasmania, and provide additional aviation capability for medical evacuation and search and rescue support for Antarctic workers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October 2024 announced that the federal government would contribute 188 million Australian dollars to the construction of a new wharf in the Tasmanian capital, Hobart, to act as a home port for the RSV Nuyina. Albanese said the new facility would guarantee the long‑term future of the AAP in Tasmania.
(1 Australian dollar equals 0.66 US dollar.)
