The Wire

to mine it… After a month in Antarctica on a parliamentary field trip, the controversial national senator has said that we should mine parts of the southern snowcapped wilderness for iron ore, coal and gold, before other countries get in before us. His comments will be aired tonight on Australian story on ABC TV, but already Federal Environment Minister, Ian Campbell has ruled out the suggestion, saying it would violate one of the world’s most widely ratified international agreement, the Antarctic treaty. But in a world where international treaties are routinely violated, does it make economic sense? The Wire put this question to Professor Pat Quilty, who was the Australian Antarctic programs chief scientist for two decades.