Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Julie Collins MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Australian scientists will soon travel to the remote sub-Antarctic Australian External Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI), as part of Australia's biggest campaign to the area in two decades.
In coming days, Australia's icebreaker and scientific research ship, RSV Nuyina, will take six Australian Antarctic Program science teams to the territory for ten days.
The HIMI region is about 4,000km south-west of Western Australia. The islands are World Heritage-listed for their spectacular beauty and natural values, and are home to large populations of seabirds and seals.
Heard Island is also home to Australia's only active volcano, known as Big Ben, and more than 70 percent of the island is covered in glaciers.
Researchers will focus on monitoring for signs of H5 bird flu, doing population surveys of seabirds and seals, and studying the island's many glaciers.
A second 25-day voyage will leave Hobart in November, focusing on marine and terrestrial science.
Collectively, the research work forms the largest scientific efforts undertaken in the region by the Australian Antarctic Program in 20 years.
Last year the Albanese Government committed an extra $17.6 million for marine science and environmental management voyages, including the environmental management visit to Heard Island.
Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt will visit the RSV Nuyina in Hobart today, alongside a group of Tasmanian MPs and Senators, as the crew conducts final preparations for the first voyage.
"The ambitious scale of this campaign - delivering both marine and land-based science - is a milestone for the management of this important region," Minister Watt said.
"Planning for these visits has been years in the making and has been made possible due to the ongoing support from the Albanese Government for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science.
"The islands may be remote, but the HIMI region is critically important to Australia. Our scientific understanding and monitoring of the islands and surrounding marine environment is crucial to the global understanding of our changing world.
"The Albanese Government recently quadrupled the size of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve, to better protect one of the most intact sub-Antarctic ecosystems left on Earth.
"This campaign highlights Australia's commitment to the enduring protection of HIMI and our leadership in sub-Antarctic science and deep field operations."
Member for Franklin, and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins said Tasmanians can be proud of their role in helping deliver world-class research.
"These ambitious voyages strengthen our state's reputation as the gateway to Antarctica," Minister Collins said.
"I know how important it is to monitor threats like H5 bird flu and the work of our scientists on this voyage will improve our understanding and strengthen national preparedness efforts.
"This builds on our Government's significant work to boost preparedness for H5 bird flu.
"I'm proud to be part of a Government that is supporting these vital science missions. This work demonstrates Australia's determination to protect the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica for generations to come."
These dedicated science and management visits come just six months after the successful Denman Marine Voyage - RSV Nuyina's first standalone marine science voyage.
