Christy Collis, ‘Truly Terra Nullius’ Australia’s Antarctic Claims

One of the more obscure achievements of the Menzies Government was establishing Mawson Station, Australia’s first permanent base on the once uninhabited southern continent. This difficult endeavour was done partly in the name of science, but also to secure Australia’s claim to 42% of the territory which had its origins in the ‘historic age’ of exploration. This claim remains disputed, and the ins and outs of how various countries have tried to take possession of the barren and inhospitable, but potentially mineral-rich, wasteland is a fascinating story, involving everything from centuries-old papal bulls to the machinations of the Cold War. In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Christy Collis about the complicated history of claims of Antarctic possession.