Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I do not accept Senator Brown’s interpretation of the decision. As I have said, the decision not to release was a decision for Customs. I again say that the government did release footage in February 2008 because it was overwhelmingly in the public interest, on advice that the government heeded on that occasion to restrict the amount released to protect any future legal action. The Australian government’s position in relation to whaling remains absolutely clear. We remain opposed to it and since coming to government we have taken unprecedented steps on the diplomatic front and also through the International Whaling Commission to progress this issue and to demonstrate our opposition to commercial and so-called ‘scientific’ whaling.