Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

As is so typical of the Australian Greens we have a mishmash of policy mixed up in the one question. The simple fact is that any fair and objective observer would say that Senator Ian Campbell has done his utmost to rid the world of commercial whaling. To have won four out of the five votes is a very good result, especially in the difficult international climate in which the International Whaling Commission operates. I look opposite and four out of five would be the sort of result that Senator Conroy could only dream about in relation to ballots.

Of the five key votes over the weekend the pro-whale conservation bloc, which was led by Australia, won four of them. This was the culmination of intense international diplomacy over the past 12 months. We do not take the sort of patronising approach—which Senator Brown seems to imply in his question—that we can somehow direct countries how to vote because we might have other deals with them. We, as a country, act honourably in our international relations and, even when we disagree, we do respect the sovereignty of these countries to cast their vote as they deem fit.

You will never hear Senator Brown, because of his anti-Western stance, congratulating the United States on supporting Australia, or New Zealand, France, Germany and the other countries that helped Australia in this vote. You will never hear Senator Brown praise the role of the United States in relation to the votes. Quite frankly, four out of five is a very good result. We, as Australian senators, should be congratulating Senator Campbell on his efforts. As Senator Campbell himself said we cannot rest on our laurels just because of those four out of five votes. What we need is ongoing and very important action to be taken around the world to ensure that there is an ongoing coalition effort of the willing to ensure that whaling is banned.