Call for broader Antarctica Bill

A bill which could see operators in Antarctica forced to pay for any environmental disasters they cause was not as comprehensive as it needed to be, an environmental group says.

The Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill requires operators in Antarctica to take "prompt, effective response actions when environmental emergencies arise from their activities".

New Zealand operators will be required to notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade if they "cause or discover" an environmental emergency.

If they fail to do so they will be required to reimburse any second party which reports the emergency or may be ordered by the High Court to pay the costs to the Environmental Protection Fund, administered by the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat.

Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand (ECO) welcomed the bill and said Antarctica had a "exceptional intrinsic value".

The bill was a "key missing piece" of Antarctic legislation.

But ECO had hoped for a more comprehensive liability regime rather than one limited to environmental emergencies, co-chairman Barry Weeber said.

"We will press again in the future for this more comprehensive approach to be negotiated."

The liability regime should apply to all vessels, including whaling and fishing, he said.

The bill was introduced by Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and fulfils New Zealand's obligations under the Antarctic Treaty.

The liability annex for environmental emergencies was decided in 2005 by the 28th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and will be in force once all parties approve it.

At least four countries -- Sweden, Peru, Poland and Spain -- of the 24 treaty parties have already approved it.

- NZPA