THE Australian Antarctic Division is shedding responsibility for Macquarie Island after a continuous presence on the island stretching back to 1948.

This is to try to relieve what Tasmanian Times has been told is a ‘dire’ financial situation — although the official public line will be that the division is shifting its scientific attention “elsewhere”.

The State Government is likely to be aware of the Macquarie Island decision — but, in the words of one observer “maybe it doesn’t want to say anything to rock the boat”.

Tasmanian Times has been told that the plan is for the AAD to pull out at the end of this financial year (June), passing responsibility for managing the station to the Bureau of Meteorology which is based in Melbourne.

BoM has been collecting weather records on the island continuously since the station was established in 1948.

The Bureau is understood to be unhappy about the AAD decision to pull out, though as one insider says, “they’ll probably close ranks and say it’s OK with them”.

Macquarie Island, which became a World Heritage property in 1996, is a Tasmanian nature reserve. Successful action by Tasmanian rangers to eradicate feral cats to protect local wildlife has received international recognition.

The Tasmanian Government has sent park rangers every year to Macquarie as part of a special deal with the Antarctic Division. New arrangements will have to be made with BoM if Tasmania is to continue managing the reserve from next summer.

BoM is part of the same department as the Antarctic Division — Environment and Heritage, whose minister is Senator Ian Campbell.

The pullout is deeply significant because it diminishes Australia’s presence in the region

Senator Campbell has said publicly (on Tim Cox’s ABC morning show late last year) that the Commonwealth has no plans to pull out from Macquarie. True — because BoM will still keep people there. But it will be a much-diminished presence.

It isn’t certain how shipping arrangements will change, although it is likely that Macquarie will get less attention from the AAD than at present.

The AAD website lists a voyage to Macquarie Island by Australia’s Antarctic flagship, Aurora Australis, in March 2007 for ‘M.I. resupply, summer retrieval’. The schedule makes no mention of any earlier visit to the island to deploy expeditioners.

This year two tourist vessels, ‘Kapitan Khlebnikov’ and ‘Clipper Odyssey’, were used for deploying personnel on the island, with ‘Aurora Australis’ to collect them in March 2006. SEE HERE

It is possible that BoM and/or the Tasmanian government, if they wish to maintain a presence on the island beyond next year, will have to organise their own sea transport.

The pullout is deeply significant because it diminishes Australia’s presence in the region. Four countries (the UK, France, South Africa and Australia) operate permanent (year-round) subantarctic stations. All except Macquarie Island are in the south Atlantic and south-west Indian oceans. Macquarie Island (which is Australia’s only subantarctic station) is the only permanent station in an arc stretching nearly three-quarters of the way round Antarctica.

There are significant implications for scientific research. Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania have won worldwide recognition for field studies of its seals and seabirds and its unique plant communities.

Crucial climate change research

These studies are closely linked to crucial climate change research in the Southern Ocean, providing data from a vast area of Earth’s surface. This important data-gathering will be much diminished by the AAD decision to abandon the island.

Rumours of a shutdown of the Macquarie Island station have been circulating for some time. For example, there is an interesting exchange recorded in a June 2005 Federal parliamentary committee report, involving division director Tony Press and Tasmanian Minister responsible for involvement in Macquarie Lara Giddings.

Giddings expresses fears about rumours of a wind-down — she says it would be devastating — and is assured by Dr Press that there are “no immediate plans” to cease the AAD’s activities on Macquarie Island, though he did acknowledge the division was looking to increase its program elsewhere.
Chapter 3, Point 3.56: SEE HERE

Tasmanian Times understands there is a strong divergence between the views of field people (in favour of keeping all stations) and the management (wanting to offload one or more — Macquarie Island and Mawson, which is Australia’s westernmost Antarctic station).

The parliamentary committee concluded “there appears to be little merit in closing down any of Australia’s Antarctic stations at this time, either permanently or over the winter season”.

But Tasmanian Times understands that the AAD has advised government it cannot afford to keep all stations going. Minister Campbell has agreed with its proposal to discontinue scientific work at Macquarie, with operational responsibilities there being taken up by the Bureau of Meteorology.

The AAD (with Campbell’s approval) is also understood to be looking at the possibility of “collaborating with other nations” in maintaining Mawson.

See for yourself:
Macquarie Island WEBCAM
MAP, Facts
PICTURES

Main page picture:
Wikipedia