Plan to curb Antarctic expeditions after costly rescue of trapped ship – January 23, 2014 – Andrew Darby
A few flags being run up flagpoles here.
AAD still can not count the days the Aurora Australis was held up in ice on the Davis resupply voyage. The ship was impeded on its way in to Davis and on way home – a total of three weeks not 12 days. If they can not get simple arithmetic near right, why should they be trusted with a $180mill budget.
“The federal government is considering how to replace the 24-year-old Aurora Australia, which was caught in the ice for 12 days in November before it broke free.
”One of the criteria of a new vessel will be its requirement to be deployed for search and rescue events,” Dr Fleming said.
Its captain, Murray Doyle, said his ship could break ice up to 1.3 metres thick. ”It’d be very nice to have more capability.”
www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/plan-to-curb-antarctic-expeditions-after-costly-rescue-of-trapped-ship-20140122-3191c.html
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Turney had 2 weeks to convince Aurora Australia captain, Murray Doyle, that NO new vessel is needed as Global warming will melt any future ice. It appears he failed.
The AAD media campaign wasted no time in firing shots through their favoured Hobart journalist Andrew Darby –
IMO it is all about trying to protect the AAD budget at a time of Govt cost cutting.
The headline claim re curbing expeditions seems to be putting up a straw man – the AAE is the only “private expedition” to have been widely publicized in our region.
Plenty of tourist cruises but they are a different beast altogether.
The article says – The government also plans to beef up its ice-breaker’s search and rescue capacity as it prepares to replace the ageing Aurora Australis.
If private expeditions are curbed – why the need to “beef up its ice-breaker’s search and rescue capacity” ? And all this in the face of a warming world and less ice.
He said Australia’s Antarctic program might need to be readjusted or delayed for next season. Surely delays are always a possible outcome with weather down there.
The federal government is considering how to replace the 24-year-old Aurora Australia, which was caught in the ice for 12 days in November before it broke free. More spin in trying to minimize the delays – it was delayed twice, first on the way to Davis for 7 or 8 days from 27 Oct to 3 Nov and then after leaving Davis they were impeded from 12 to 26 Nov. Makes over 3 weeks. It is all there in the V1 sitreps. AAD can not help spinning.
”One of the criteria of a new vessel will be its requirement to be deployed for search and rescue events,” Dr Fleming said. Just another way of conning more funds out of Canberra.
Its captain, Murray Doyle, said his ship could break ice up to 1.3 metres thick. ”It’d be very nice to have more capability.”
In the face of global warming it is puzzling he thinks they need more ice breaking capability.
Most ships Captains would opt for a bigger and better ship. Replacing the AA is a few years away – I have never heard that the ship has lacked the capacity that Australia requires. I hope the Govt prices doing a deal with P & O to give the AA a refit and extend its use past say 2025. The last thing Govt should be doing is being conned by the clever & spinning AAD to sign on to an expensive glitzy new toy for the warmist boys n girls.
The Govt should carry on the trend from the last Govt and further trim AAD budget to hopefully as low as $100mill. In view of fact that China is coming into our region maybe we should think co-operation instead of everybody doing their own thing.
We need serious discussions about what AAD research has done for Australia over the years and exactly what is our national interest down there. What budget is needed to back our national interest and what type of research is relevant to our national interest. AAD research that I ever notice in the media is always spun through the prism of IPCC GW-Climate-change. How that helps Australia I do not know.
Not sure how you come to the conclusion that Andrew Darby is a mouthpiece for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Agree Gina it is a stretch too far – Hobart is not a huge place and most journalists would be aware of the AAD.
Here is an interesting subject from last October –
Militarisation warning for Antarctica as China and Iran show increasing interest
www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/militarisation-warning-for-antarctica-as-china-and-iran-show-increasing-interest-20131021-2vwby.html#ixzz2ra6VUd54