‘Make Aurora Australis icebreaker an emergency vessel’

The Aurora Australis has plied the treacherous Southern Ocean for three decades but a new Labor proposal could give the vivid orange vessel new life.

The icebreaker Aurora Australis. Picture: Ryan Osland

The Aurora Australis supply ship has plied the Southern Ocean for three decades but a Labor proposal could give the vessel new life after it retires at the end of ­summer.

Labor has backed a Maritime Union of Australia’s petition calling on Scott Morrison to buy the icebreaker after its final ­Antarctic season so it can be repurposed for bushfire emergencies. ALP senator Carol Brown wrote to the Prime Minister last week seeking bipartisan support for the purchase, which the union said would cost the government less than $10m to buy and carry out minor modifications.

“The bushfire emergency has brought out the best in our community,” Senator Brown wrote on January 30. “However, the fires have also shown vulnerabilities in our supply and rescue capability.”

She said several Australian civilian vessels and crews had been called upon to provide vital rescue and support to communities severely impacted by the fires, including the Far Saracen and Far Senator, which delivered food, fuel and other relief supplies to people stranded in Mallacoota.

Ferries also assisted with the mass evacuation from Kangaroo Island, along with transporting supplies, defence personnel and equipment.

Senator Brown said the ship, owned by P & O, would require modification but facilities such as a helipad, desalination plant and a refuelling station made it a suitable option.

MUA assistant national secretary Ian Bray said on Thursday the bushfire emergency highlighted the importance of maritime resources in natural disasters: “The upcoming retirement of the Aurora Australis … offers an unprecedented opportunity for the government to acquire a specialist vessel at a fraction of the cost of a new build.”