Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

Outcome 3: ANTARCTICA

Advancement of Australia’s strategic, scientific, environmental and economic interests in the Antarctic by protecting, administering and researching the region.

Main responsibilities for this outcome

Overseeing the Antarctic Treaty system, Antarctic and Southern Ocean environment protection, Australian Antarctic Territory and Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands administration, Antarctic and Southern Ocean research, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic policy development and implementation, and grants for Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research.

Australian Antarctic Division

Objectives

Australia’s Antarctic program objectives are based on the region’s strategic, scientific, environmental and potential economic importance for Australia. They include:

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  Conducting scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that supports national policy and environmental management priorities—in particular, taking advantage of the special opportunities the Antarctic offers for globally significant and coordinated research.
  
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  Preserving Australia’s sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic Territory, including our sovereign rights over adjacent offshore areas.
  
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  Protecting the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean environment, having regard to its special qualities and effects on our region.
  
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  Maintaining Antarctica’s freedom from strategic and/or political confrontation.
  
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  Being informed about and able to influence developments in a region geographically proximate to Australia.
  
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  Deriving any reasonable economic benefits from living and non-living resources of the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean (excluding deriving benefits from mining and oil drilling in the Antarctic Treaty area).
  
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  Developing arrangements with other Antarctic programs to enhance cooperation in science and logistics.
  

Key achievements

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  A major marine science voyage to East Antarctica—Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystems Experiment II (SIPEX II)—using the RSV Aurora Australis occurred during September to November 2012. The multidisciplinary study was designed to gather information to address major knowledge gaps in our understanding of the connection between sea ice and Southern Ocean ecosystems. This research voyage brought together 51 scientists from nine countries—Australia, the United States, Germany, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, Belgium and Canada. Scientists measured the physical and biological properties of sea ice on small to regional scales using classical methods and state-of-the-art technology including ice coring surveys, remotely-operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, drifting buoys and instrumented helicopters. The data from this voyage is currently being processed and will enhance our understanding of the role of sea ice in Antarctic climate and ecosystem processes, improve satellite estimates of sea ice thickness and provide input to sea ice models.
  
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  In a world first, acoustic technology was used to successfully find, track and study
  the biggest creature on Earth: the Antarctic blue whale. From 31 January to
  17 March 2013 a major project on blue whales—the Antarctic Blue Whale Voyage
  —was undertaken by a team of 18 scientists from Australia, Chile, New Zealand, United Kingdom, the United States and 13 crew. They headed south from New Zealand to the Ross Sea area aboard the Amaltal Explorer, ultimately demonstrating that non-lethal research methods can be used and it is not necessary to kill whales in order to study them. The scientists on the voyage used a suite of non-lethal techniques including:
  
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    sightings and samples: 720 cetacean sightings, including humpback, minke, fin and bottle-nosed whales; environmental data; and Antarctic krill samples
    
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    acoustic recordings: 626 hours of acoustic recordings with 26 545 calls of Antarctic blue whales analysed in real time
    
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    photography, biopsy and tagging: 57 blue whale photo identifications, 23 biopsy samples and satellite tagging of two whales.
    
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  Australia again played a leading role in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), with progress made on a number of Australia’s key priorities including:
  
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    Australia, France and the European Union put forward a proposal to establish an East Antarctic representative system of marine protected areas. Agreement was reached to convene a special meeting of CCAMLR and its scientific committee in Germany in July 2013 to specifically consider the marine protected area proposals.
    
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    A compliance evaluation procedure was adopted to strengthen the compliance framework for fishing vessels operating in the CCAMLR area. This is a significant development, as this procedure provides, for the first time, a formal mechanism for assessing vessel compliance with CCAMLR’s conservation measures.
    
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    The 2013 ATCM adopted a multiyear strategic work plan and a range of environmental protection priorities.
    

Strategies

Australia’s commitment to value, protect and understand Antarctica was furthered by:

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  Undertaking research into environmental systems and the effects of global climate change to ensure that management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is based on sound scientific principles and the best available scientific knowledge.
  
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  Developing internationally accepted environmental protection measures through the Antarctic Treaty system and advocating for other nations’ agreement to these measures.
  
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  Developing, implementing and managing practical ways to minimise the effects of our own activities.
  
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  Restoring past sites of human activities.
  
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  The inaugural Strategic Science in Antarctic conference, held in Hobart in June—a collaboration between Australia and New Zealand, designed to share information on policy, current research and operational planning in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
  
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  Creating a Modernisation Taskforce to manage a range of interrelated capability concepts through to business case, funding approval, project approval and implementation to support Australia’s Antarctic operations into the future.
  
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  Helping to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Southern Ocean.
  

The department participated and lead discussion in key forums, including the:

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  Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM)
  
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  Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP)
  
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  Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
  
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  Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP).
  

Australia continued to undertake scientific research in accordance with the Australian Antarctic Science Strategic Plan 2011–12 to 2020–21 for Australia’s Antarctic program. This was the first year that new projects were undertaken as part of this Science Strategic Plan. This represented a significant shift in emphasis for the science program towards undertaking projects that have a stronger focus on relevance for end users. For this reason, fewer but more targeted projects were undertaken.

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) continued to implement the AAD Strategic Directions 2012–2022, which outlines the work that the division has undertaken to support Australia’s Antarctic national interests and implement its responsibilities under the department’s strategic plan and Sustainability Framework.

Evaluation and conclusions

In 2012–13 a wide range of objectives and key performance indicators were achieved to advance Outcome 3. The department evaluated activities through a comprehensive debrief of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic operations at the end of the season covering science, shipping, aviation, field support, emergency management, medical, safety, environment and human resources. Functional area debriefs were carried out with external stakeholders such as contractors. Learnings were captured from those processes and actions arising were assigned to relevant stakeholders. The work of science projects were considered under the science project assessment process to ensure they supported the objectives of the Australian Antarctic Science Strategic Plan and responded to the overall objectives of the Australian Government in Antarctica.

Results for Deliverables and Key Performance Indicators

Program 3.1: Antarctica: Science, Policy and Presence

Deliverables	2012–13 Results
Deliver high priority Australian Antarctic scientific research in accordance with the goals of the Australian Antarctic Science Strategic Plan 2011–12 to 2020–21.	This has been achieved. The Australian Antarctic science program undertook a total of 61 science projects. These projects included researchers from 36 Australian institutions collaborating with a further 71 international institutions from 23 countries. Overall, 80 students (53 PhD candidates) were associated with the projects.
Protect the Antarctic environment and undertake work of practical, economic and international significance including compliance with all Australian Antarctic environmental legislation.	This has been achieved. There was full compliance with all Australian Antarctic environmental legislation. Foundations for new waste treatment facilities have been completed at Davis Station and started at Casey Station. When completed, these facilities will house waste water treatment plants discharging high-quality water to the environment.
Pursue Australia’s Antarctic policy objectives through participation in the Antarctic Treaty system and related fora, including meetings of the: Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and the Committee for Environmental Protection Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.	This has been achieved. The department advanced Australian interests through the Antarctic Treaty system and related fora, as listed in the following key performance indicator table.
Administer the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including the authorisation and management of Australian activities in accordance with relevant legislation and environmental protection measures.	This has been achieved. The territories were administered in accordance with relevant legislation and environment protection measures.
Maintain three stations in the Australian Antarctic Territory and one station in the sub-Antarctic, listed below: Casey Station (Antarctica) Davis Station (Antarctica) Mawson Station (Antarctica) Macquarie Island Station (sub-Antarctic).	This has been achieved. The four permanent research stations were maintained, providing a permanent presence and support for research.
Operate a transport and logistics network using shipping and air services to: transport expeditioners and cargo between Australia, Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands support scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.	This has been achieved. A total of 186 shipping days on the Aurora Australis supported Australia’s Antarctic program. The shipping schedule included a major marine science voyage at the beginning of the season. A separate dedicated whale research voyage was also conducted on a separately chartered fishing vessel. Nine intercontinental flights were conducted in support of Australia’s Antarctic program: scheduled flights between Hobart and Wilkins Aerodrome, one unscheduled medical evacuation flight and one flight positioning Australian expeditioners at the US McMurdo Station before travelling on to Casey Station on US transport or AAD chartered fixed-wing aircraft. A further eight flights were undertaken through the Antarctic Airlink program to transfer passengers to Casey Station and other Antarctic destinations via the US ice runway at McMurdo Station. Transport and logistics supported a total of 61 science projects.

Deliverables	2012–13 Budget Target	2012–13 Results
Participation in key Antarctic Treaty related forums (% attended).	100	100
Number of scientists active in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean during the financial year.	80	136 (this number includes 51 scientists on SIPEX II).
Number of permanent stations operated, maintained and resupplied.	4	4
Number of shipping days in support of Australia’s program.	180	186
Number of return flights between Hobart and Casey stations.	15	9 Fewer flights were scheduled because the runway was unserviceable during January on two previous seasons due to climatic conditions and this cast doubt on whether the runway would be serviceable during January this season.

Key Performance Indicators	2012–13 Results
Internationally recognised scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean will be measured by the number of published scientific papers and the number of international institutions collaborating in the Australian Antarctic program.	During the 2012 calendar year, 179 publications were produced within the Australian Antarctic science program. Of these, 80 were published in peer-reviewed international literature and 17 contributed to supporting Australia’s position in key policy fora such as the Antarctic Treaty, the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and the International Whaling Commission. The department has met this key performance indicator since 2009–10.
Enhanced Australian influence in the Antarctic Treaty system including through participation in its various fora as measured by the extent to which Australia’s objectives are achieved and the number of senior positions (e.g. Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson) held by Australia.	In 2012–13 Australia continued to advance its position within the Antarctic Treaty system by active participation in its various elements. At the 36th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Brussels in May 2013, Australia was successful in securing agreement to: a multiyear strategic work plan for the ATCM an Antarctic Clean-Up Manual several revised protected area management plans several revised site-specific guidelines two new guidelines for sites frequently visited by tourists. The department has met this key performance indicator since 2009–10.
Australia’s Antarctic program complies with all Australian Antarctic environmental legislation. The program’s target is 100 per cent compliance.	100 per cent compliance was achieved. The department has met this key performance indicator since 2011–12.
Effective shipping and air services as measured by the combined number of expeditions and the volume of cargo transported during the year.	There were 480 expeditioners this year, including 90 expeditioners on dedicated marine science/whales voyages. Excluding these marine voyages, 360 expeditioners represent 103 per cent of the key performance indicator target. Five Aurora Australis voyages were undertaken this season including a major early season marine science voyage. A separate whale research voyage was also undertaken. Nine direct flights from Hobart to Wilkins Aerodrome were conducted this season, one of which was an unscheduled medical evacuation. The department has met the volume of cargo key performance indicator since 2010–11.

Key Performance Indicators	2012–13 Budget Target	2012–13 Results
Number of scientific publications produced in the previous calendar year.	150	179
Number of international institutions collaborating in the Australian Antarctic program.	100	71 This number represents a significant shift in emphasis for the science program towards supporting projects that have a stronger focus on relevance for end users. For this reason, this result represents both fewer but more targeted projects and a better understanding of the nature of international collaboration within those projects.
Number of senior positions held on Antarctic Treaty related organisations.	2	2
Australian Antarctic program compliance with Antarctic environmental legislation (%).	100	100 per cent compliance was achieved.
Number of expeditioners transported to Australia’s Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic stations (round trips).	350	480 (including 90 expeditioners on dedicated marine science/whales voyages).
Volume of cargo transported to Australia’s Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic stations (cubic metres).	10 000	11 681
Station utilisation (number of occupied bed nights).	40 000	40 818 (increased winter population at Macquarie Island due to the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project).