Greens spokesperson for Antarctica issues, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says that Greg Hunt’s 20-year Antarctic Strategy is desperately light on details when it comes to spending and key actions.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “When Tony Press laid out his report to Government to guide the development of this strategy he laid out 32 key recommendations to be considered. What we have in response from the government is a series of dot points and some scenic photos of ice.
“It’s disappointing that a comprehensive response to the Tony Press report and a detailed vision for the future of Australia’s Antarctic Program has not been provided.
“This release of this report has been continually delayed and now a shell of a report has been rushed out a week before a budget and two weeks before an election is called.
“When it comes to funding, I will be double checking Greg Hunt’s claim of more funding against the Budget next week. Given the pea and thimble trick Hunt has tried with CSIRO climate funding I won’t be surprised if any new funding is merely shuffling the figures.
“It’s hard to imagine that there is any more critical research for the fate of Australia and the planet than understanding if and when Antartica’s ice sheets are going to collapse.
“The currently funding allocation towards the Australian Antarctic Division over the forward Estimates drops from around $115 million per annum to $90 million per annum.
Any funding put forward by the Minister may merely be to restore what was taken away by previous budgets,” he concluded.
Greens spokesperson for Antarctica issues, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson
