Whaling

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (SA), which means it succeeded. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own, but are politically influential as they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate:

(a) notes that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has rejected Japan's bid to overturn a long-standing ban on commercial whaling;

(b) notes further that Japan has threatened to withdraw from the IWC and indicated its intention to continue hunting for 'scientific' purposes; and

(c) calls on the government to:

(i) commit to sending a vessel to patrol the Southern Ocean this summer, and

(ii) investigate Australia's legal options under international law.