China and Russia are eyeing up Antarctica — and experts say Australia should be more concerned

Australia is spending $2 billion on a new Antarctic icebreaker — the biggest single investment in the history of our Antarctic program.

The RSV Nuyina floating in the dry dock in the
Romanian shipyards where it is being built.

The state of the art RSV Nuyina — which was floated last month — will primarily support Australia's scientific research team in Antarctica, but it also has another purpose: shoring up our territorial claim to 42 per cent of the icy continent, where countries including China and Russia have been ramping up their presence.

But why does Australia need to lay claim to so much of Antarctica? What has gotten other countries so interested in the region? And why does it even matter?

Read the story from ABC News by Holly Robertson - “China and Russia are eyeing up Antarctica — and experts say Australia should be more concerned.”