CANBERRA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government on Thursday committed 208.8 million Australian dollars (about 138.56 million U.S. dollars) in funding over the next seven years for Antarctic research.
The funding would expand the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) and create jobs, said Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt 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 the understanding of Antarctica and the impacts of climate change on the Southern Ocean, according to the statement.
"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 said.
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 additional aviation capability to provide 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 of Hobart to act as a home port for the RSV Nuyina.
Albanese said at the time that the new facility would guarantee the long-term future of the AAP in Tasmania. (1 Australian dollar equals 0.66 U.S. dollar) ■
