in february 2016 theaustealian national audit office (anao) completed an audit of the australian antarctic program.the program is administered by the commonwealth department of the environment with the aim of advancing australia's strategic, and environmental interests in the antarctic. australia maintains four permanent stations in the antarctic and subantarctic region. the department transports around 400 staff to its stations each summer to conduct and support scientific research and to build and maintain facilities. in the winter, each station is maintained by a small crew of around 15 to 20 people. each station requires sufficient supplies and technical expertise to survive the isolated winter months, manage the busy summer season, and cope with unexpected events throughout the year,such as medical emergencies or delayed re-supply due to weather or ice conditions.