Australia is being urged to be ready to defend its claim to Antarctic territory in its military planning, given inevitable global competition for the continent's rich energy resources.
Antarctica is thought to have the world's third-largest oil reserves, locked away by an international treaty that preserves the territory from exploitation.
However, a Lowy Institute report released today warns that other countries are eyeing the abundant energy reserves as technology makes it easier to access the frozen continent.
The big oil companies are working on ways of extracting energy resources from polar regions. Last week US regulators approved plans by Royal Dutch Shell to explore in waters off Alaska.
Australia claims 42 per cent of Antarctica, a claim that is not recognised internationally. The Lowy report warns that the government must stop thinking of Antarctica as a scientific playground and treat it as a national security issue.
It calls for military personnel to take part in ''peaceful and scientific roles'' in operations in Antarctica and to hand responsibility for the territory to the Attorney General's department, with a strong national security focus.
The international treaty covering the Antarctic expires in 2048 but the report warns Australia is lagging behind other countries that are already working to bolster their claims.
''China is investing in a new ice-breaker ship, ski-equipped planes and helicopters as well as extensive Antarctic astronomy and astrophysics, and is refurbishing its stations for year-round occupation,'' the report says.
by "environment clean generations"
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