Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. It says explicitly, under ‘Reasons for the findings and decisions not to release that footage’ that the documents affected national security, defence and international relations, but nothing whatever to do with Customs. It goes on to say:

The further release of images or data would adversely affect the confidence Japan would have in our diplomatic efforts to achieve an end to scientific whaling. Such releases would also likely harm Australia’s interests in a range of areas where we cooperate with Japan.

Is this not an obsequious decision by the Rudd government to back down at the first bit of pressure from Japan because it simply did not like the bloody business of whaling and the pictures of it being released to the world public?