Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate calls on the Australian Government to seek an immediate explanation from the Government of Japan on its non compliance with the injunction of the Federal Court of Australia in 2008 against whaling in the International Whale Sanctuary in the Southern Ocean.

The Senate divided. [12:16]

(The President—Senator Hogg)

Question negatived.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The coalition understand the sentiments of the Greens in moving this motion. However, we have concerns in relation to whether this motion reflects appropriately the jurisdiction of the Federal Court ruling and also we have concerns that the motion could in fact have presented some jeopardising of the legal case that is under way by the government at present. We share the frustrations of the Greens in relation to the slow pace that this government is taking in addressing whaling—the fact that it took fully 2½ years since the 2007 election to progress the case to the International Court of Justice. We would rather have seen faster action there. We would prefer to see monitoring occurring in terms of what is happening in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary at present but unfortunately are not able, due to those concerns, to support this motion today.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I am disappointed that the Senate did not support this motion because, as we speak, the clashes are still occurring in the Southern Ocean. The Sea Shepherd has been sandwiched between Japanese vessels and flash bombs have been let off by the Japanese, exploding over the Sun Laurel, the Korean flagged vessel which the Japanese have in the Southern Ocean in Australia's Antarctic territorial waters trying to refuel the whaling fleet. Also there is another vessel, the Japanese maritime self-defence vessel, operating in those waters—last known port Fremantle. We believe that ship has been using an Australian port before going out to sea for quite some time, deliberately out there so it could set sail to the Southern Ocean. It is quite clear that the Japanese have— (Time expired)