Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Will the minister update the House on the government’s actions to bring an end to commercial whaling, including so-called scientific whaling?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Throsby for her question and her interest in this issue. The Rudd government remain resolutely opposed to commercial whaling in any form, including so-called scientific whaling, and our commitment to whale conservation remains clear in the number of unprecedented actions the government has taken since coming to office. We have advanced a significant reform agenda through the International Whaling Commission, with initiatives for international non-lethal whale research partnerships, starting in the Southern Ocean, and conservation management plans to support the recovery of vulnerable whale species and populations. Many countries, including New Zealand, Chile, the United Kingdom and the United States, strongly supported Australia’s proposals and we are now working towards putting these plans into action.

I am pleased to inform the House that Australia will host an international workshop in March 2009 to plan the non-lethal whale research partnerships for the Southern Ocean. The partnerships will also be open to all countries and will demonstrate once again that all essential whale research can be performed without killing a single whale. We remain optimistic that through this reform agenda we can help shape the International Whaling Commission into a 21st century, conservation orientated organisation, a body focused on studying living whales, not counting dead ones.

Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Haase interjecting

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Irons interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Kalgoorlie and the member for Swan!

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is also giving serious and careful consideration to a range of options for possible international legal action against Japan’s Antarctic whaling program—

Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about jobs for the people of the Kimberley?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kalgoorlie is warned!

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and we have carefully analysed the information obtained through our monitoring of the Antarctic whaling fleet last summer. This was the first time that monitoring had been undertaken of the whaling fleet. No previous government has had the kind of information available to inform its consideration of legal options that we now have.

Our immediate efforts are on finding a diplomatic resolution to this issue and that is why we have increased our diplomatic engagement on whaling, particularly with Japan over its scientific whaling program. We have appointed Mr Sandy Hollway AO as Australia’s special envoy for whale conservation to advance the government’s objectives of ending Japanese scientific whaling and improving the conservation of whales. We have repeatedly called on Japan—through the Prime Minister, the foreign minister, through me and through the envoy—to suspend its whaling program in the Southern Ocean, particularly as we engage in reform of the International Whaling Commission. We make no pretence that this is an easy task. In fact, this is a complex issue, an issue between friends but one we know the Australian community feels very strongly about, and that is why we have been working so hard and why we will keep working to bring commercial whaling to an end. I note a report overnight from the Asahi newspaper in Japan that the Japanese government’s whaling program—

Barry Haase (Kalgoorlie, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Haase interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kalgoorlie will leave the chamber for one hour under standing order 94(a).

The member for Kalgoorlie then left the chamber.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members opposite clearly had no interest in this answer, because they did nothing for 12 years on this issue.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will continue to respond to the question.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will begin again, Mr Speaker. I note a report overnight from the Asahi newspaper in Japan that the Japanese government’s whaling program will make its first-ever whaling target reduction—a reduction of 20 per cent in the upcoming season, to 750 whales—while the program’s overall target will be reduced by approximately 10 per cent. Whilst this is at present an unconfirmed report, if accurate it would represent the first time since Japan’s scientific whaling commenced in 1987 that the actual target has been reduced. In fact, since 1987 the target has only increased, including more than doubling between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

I also emphasise that, while any reduction would be welcome—it would be an encouraging sign—given that it has not happened before, the government’s objective remains bringing an end to all commercial whaling, including whaling in the name of science. That is the objective we will continue to pursue, intensifying and stepping up our efforts including through the Prime Minister and senior ministers, through the special envoy on whale conservation, through our reform agenda at the International Whaling Commission and through the active consideration of options for international legal action.