2017-01-16
Prime Minister Turnbull needs to take far stronger action to protect Australia’s territorial waters from illegal whaling, Greens Senator for Tasmania Nick McKim says.
"Mr Turnbull should stop sitting on his hands and immediately send Border Force vessels to the Southern Ocean to restore the integrity of the our territorial waters including the Australian Whale Sanctuary," Senator McKim said.
“They should be prepared to run Japan’s illegal whalers out of the Whale Sanctuary, and gather evidence for further international legal actions."
"Thanks to Sea Shepherd, we now have unambiguous evidence of illegal whaling being carried out in Australian waters which the Australian government appears to be condoning."
"There are also a number of diplomatic steps open to the government to increase the pressure on Japan to stop defying Australia with its illegal whaling program."
"But by bottling it so badly when he met Japanese Prime Minister Abe last weekend, Malcolm Turnbull has tacitly condoned Japan’s commercial whaling fleet continuing to ignore Australia’s government, our Federal Court and our territorial waters."