Greg Hunt broke last election’s promise on whales and is silent at this election

Greens spokesperson on whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has today released the Greens election policy to protect whales from being harpooned in the Southern Ocean.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “In opposition Greg Hunt couldn’t stop talking about how he was going to save the whales but when he got into government he went silent. His promise to protect the whales by sending a Customs vessel to the Southern Ocean was never fulfilled.

“He put trade deals before whales and the Liberal Government went out of its way to keep whaling off the agenda when Japan and Australia met.

“In this whaling policy the Greens have committed to take the next legal step necessary to prevent the slaughter of whales in the Australian whale sanctuary. If we can’t get an immediate result in the International Whaling Commission then the Greens would direct the Attorney General’s Department to mount a legal challenge to Japan’s whaling activity via the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea. This was a position that Greg Hunt once held but is again silent on.

“We would also send the Australian Border Force Cutter (ABFC) Ocean Shield to the Southern Ocean to monitor the Japanese whaling activity and use this as evidence in the next court case. It is Australia’s job as a nation to protect against illegal whaling in the Australian Whale Sanctuary, we shouldn’t have to keep relying on the courageous efforts of Sea Shepherd to get the job done,” he concluded.
Greens spokesperson on whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson