2017-09-05
Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Whish-Wilson, has called on Village Roadshow to stop tying red helium balloons to stormwater drains to promote the Stephen King movie IT because the balloons will undoubtedly enter the ocean and cause the deaths of our marine life.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “When I saw photos of the red helium balloons tied to stormwater drains in Sydney I was furious. When balloons end up in the ocean they float and get swallowed by sea-birds, dolphins, whales and turtles.
“Balloons and the streamers tied to balloons are a significant source of marine plastic found in the stomachs of dead baby sea-birds on the supposedly pristine Lord Howe Island, 700km off the coast from Sydney.
“Unless Village Roadshow want to be associated with the horrible deaths of Australian sea life, then they need to make sure they don’t try this marketing campaign again.
“The NSW Environmental Protection Authority should fine the film promoter for each and every balloon that they have placed on the streets to demonstrate that the agency cares about protecting our wildlife.
“The Federal Government is currently drafting a well-overdue Threat Abatement Plan for marine plastics and they need to look at the evidence and see if a ban on balloons is required to protect our endangered species.
“I want the Environment Minister, Josh Frydenberg, to explicitly address the question of the impact of balloons on our sea life in the Threat Abatement Plan. It’s time for debate about whether we need to ban balloons,” he concluded.
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Link to images of promotional balloons here https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/36954268/red-balloons-tied-to-sydney-grates-as-promo-for-it-horror-movie/