The Soviets came to the area in the 1950s. The Soviet Union began building research stations in areas claimed by Australia as part of its contribution to the International Geophysical Year of 1957-8.
Australian officials were not happy. The then foreign minister warned of missiles being launched on either of the two cities, as government records show fears the Soviets might install defence infrastructure in Antarctica. The territory is almost the size of continental Australia, at 6m square kilometres. There is a lot of room for Soviet missiles.
An article in an Australian periodical described the fate of Antarctica as a matter of foreign policy excellence. In other newspapers of the time, this sentiment was echoed. The Advertiser described the Soviet mission as a potential threat to the security of Australia, while the Sydney Morning Herald wondered what the Russians were up to at Mirny.
The head of Australia's scientific program in Antarctica was worried after visiting Soviet peers.
I was reminded of these fears after the announcement of new funding for Australia's Antarctic program. Scott Morrison's announcement of almost a billion dollars in funding over the next decade represented continuity, rather than change, as politics and science have always been uneasy bedfellows.
A blend of sometimes conflicting strategic and scientific motives has been the hallmark of Australian explorers since the turn of the 20th century. The tension between scientific and strategic capacity was underscored by the division of new funding between the two.
The dual motives are not neatly separable. More and better science can be made possible by the enhanced capabilities. Science is the main currency in diplomacy. It is obvious that the funding boost is not solely due to better science, as the government slashed the university sector to the core during the Pandemic. Strategic concerns are not far away.
The federal government did not name China in the announcement, but it is obvious that the regional adversary is behind Australia's renewed program. The environment minister made it clear that the Antarctic needs to be free from conflict and protected from exploitation.
The quiet part of the government announcement was out loud in the news coverage. The Australian Financial Review noted that the Chinese and Russians have an increasing interest in the area. The Lowy Institute, an Australian thinktank, has recently published research on Australia-China engagement over Antarctica. Chinese authorities are aware of the strategic implications of this funding boost. China's state media outlet Global Times hit back at Australia's plan to colonize the southern part of the world.
It's not clear if the fears of the 1950s will return to haunt us. The 1959 treaty that banned military activity on the continent was signed out of those tensions. The treaty froze territorial claims to Antarctica, but did not renouncing them.
The treaty system in the Australian Antarctic Territory is always used to promote science and conserve the environment, but it is also used to maintain some degree of involvement. It was suggested in the report that China was trying to position itself for a territorial claim in theTerritory if the treaty was overturned.
Some old records on Australia's involvement in Antarctica, dating back six or more decades, remain sealed because of the sensitivity to these issues. I tried to access a file at the National Archives that had an explanation about the information about Australian sovereignty and some of the issues that still have currency.
The red scare on ice of the 1950s suggests that science is more important than politics. Despite the political animosity between Australia and the Soviet Union during the International Geophysical Year, scientists from the two nations developed warm friendships.
It probably didn't hurt that there were a dozen vodkas involved, too.
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