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

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. I ask, in relation to the lost vote on commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission, how on earth could the minister for the environment, Senator Ian Campbell, have failed to get the support of Nauru and the Solomon Islands on this matter? How on earth, when the government is negotiating to send West Papuans to Nauru, could this minister fail to get Nauru to prevent whales being sent to Japan?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to 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.

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I note that Senator Ian Campbell has taken claim for four votes. He has to take responsibility for the fifth. I ask again, because the minister ducked this in his answer: how come the Minister for the Environment and Heritage failed to influence Nauru to stop the vital vote for commercial whaling, which is now going to set the pattern for future whaling conferences, when so much effort has been put in by this government to taking West Papuans, and how come Senator Campbell flopped in getting the Solomon Islands onside for this crucial vote on whaling? What is it that led to this failure of diplomacy by the minister in both cases?

Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Robert Ray interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Ray, you are rather noisy today; I ask you to come to order.

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

I think to a certain extent this is an issue of integrity. When we as an Australian government help a country such as the Solomon Islands we do it out of commitment, compassion and wanting to assist them without saying, ‘We will only help you restore law and order in your country if you vote with us on whaling.’ That is not the way we operate, Senator Brown. For you to suggest that that would be the Greens way of undertaking foreign affairs reflects very badly on Senator Brown as the leader of the Greens and on his party.