Australia urged to draw ‘lines in the snow’ against China’s flouting of Antarctic Treaty consensus

Australia has vowed to ‘assert our authority’ in Antarctica, amid claims Chinese obstructionism is undermining the treaty system that protects the world’s last wilderness.

The moon over the Hagglunds in Antarctica. Picture: Daniel Boskell

Australia has vowed to “assert our authority” in Antarctica amid claims Chinese obstructionism is undermining the treaty system that protects the world’s last wilderness and keeps it free from militarisation.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia would “not countenance” any undermining of the Antarctic Treaty System, amid signs of a fracturing of the consensus that has underpinned it since 1961. Ms Ley told The Weekend Australian Antarctic nations that sought to move away from consensus decision making would need to be “brought back into the fold”.

“Australia will always assert our authority within the Antarctic Treaty System and we won’t ever take a step back from that,” she said. “That is where our strength lies. Not on my watch or this government’s watch will we see or countenance any undermining of the strong, principled treaty system that underpins everything that every country does – and should do into the future – in ­Antarctica.

“The next 60 years won’t be like the last. And we need to be vigilant and we need to be proactive within the treaty system. We need to play to our strengths, which are considerable.”

Antarctic experts accuse China and Russia of undermining consensus on Antarctic management by repeatedly blocking key measures such as marine parks, krill and toothfish catch limits, and the black-listing of illegal fishing vessels.

Australian Antarctic Division director from 1998 to 2009, and author of the 2014 Australian Antarctic 20-year strategic plan, Tony Press, said Chinese delegations had even been “personally insulting” to other delegations at recent Antarctic forums.

Dr Press said Australia – as a treaty founder and instigator of the Madrid Protocol banning mining in Antarctica until at least 2048 – should make a “line in the snow” against China’s erosion of consensus.

“Whole of government co-­ordination needs to be ramped up because the issues are now ­becoming about the integrity of the Antarctic Treaty System as a whole,” Dr Press said.

China was taking an “incredibly legalistic approach to just about every single piece of text” in an apparent determination to “hold the line” on any measure that might set a precedent ­in ­restricting fishing rights.

“That practice is contrary to the traditions of the treaty system and in fact at some stage in the ­future might provoke a formal dispute.” He called for consideration of an Antarctic ministerial board, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and formation of a united approach to Beijing with like-minded Antarctic ­nations.

“Countries like Australia, the UK, the original 12 (treaty) signatories should be saying ‘this ­behaviour is not acceptable’,” Dr Press said. “We should be going at very high levels to Beijing singularly and collectively to draw lines in the snow on this and stop this.

“Because essentially … it changes the norms and modes of the treaty system, which has ­always been based on consensus – the glue that keeps the treaty system together.”

While the current flashpoints were Australian-backed plans for marine protected areas, and krill fishing, there was a danger of it “spilling over” into other treaty areas, potentially including the future of mining post-2048.

The treaty was not just about protecting penguins and krill. “The treaty bans military activities,” he said. “That means that we don’t have to have half of our navy belting around the Southern Ocean. That’s incredibly strategically important for Australia.”

Ms Ley said she had escalated diplomacy by speaking directly to other Antarctic nation environment ministers, and that the government was focused on Antarctic issues at the highest levels. She would not give up on Australia’s proposal for an East Antarctic marine park, while conceding it was likely to be blocked – potentially by China – at a summit in Hobart next week. “I’m not prepared to take my foot off the pedal in pushing for this,” she said.

Under the treaty, Antarctic ­nations put their claims to the region to one side and agree to peaceful, scientific pursuits. Australia has a dormant claim to 42 per cent of the continent.