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.

Greens spokesperson for waste and recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the successful move by the Greens to establish a Senate Inquiry into the future of the recycling industry following the exposé on Four Corners.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “I have been pursuing these issues in the recycling industry for years but the recent Four Corners episode has really brought the crisis out into the open.

Greens spokesperson on Waste & Recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, responded to Monday’s 4 Corners program that exposed the crisis in Australia’s recycling industry.

“This problem has been a long time coming. The fall in commodity prices has demolished the previously successful business model based around co-mingled kerbside recycling.

“The response of government to this slow building crisis has been woeful. Millions of Australians have been diligently sorting their rubbish all for nothing. This is an outrage.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the green-lighting of the Tassal salmon farm at Okehampton Bay.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "I'm bitterly disappointed, but not surprised, that the federal Liberal Government has chosen to stand by Will Hodgman in an election year, and refused to do a full environmental feasibility study on the the Tassal Okehampton Bay expansion.

Greens spokesperson for Health Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson expresses his disappointment that both Labor and Liberal voted in the Senate to support the Okehampton fish farm expansion on Tasmania's east coast, and refused to recognise their record of poor regulation and mismanagement of this important industry.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “Today Labor and Liberal showed their hand and put on record their support for the unpopular fish farm expansion at Okehampton Bay.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has lashed out at moves in the Japanese Parliament to help Japan resume commercial whaling and calls upon Malcolm Turnbull to condemn the moves.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “For years and years Japan has conducted whaling on Australia’s doorstep in the Southern Ocean under the guise of scientific research but these moves in the Japanese Parliament to reinstate commercial whaling show that ‘scientific whaling’ is just a sham.

The Australian Greens are calling on the SA Government to stand with coastal communities, tourism and fishery industries in protecting the Great Australian Bight marine park from high-risk oil drilling by Statoil.

The Liberal party’s unanimous motion to remove great white sharks from the protected species list so they can be slaughtered is ludicrous and should be ignored by the Environment Minister, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“This is an ignorant response. The Liberals have once again entered a fact free zone.

“White sharks are essential to a healthy marine eco system and slaughter of these creatures will not ensure safety of ocean users.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson responds to the media blitz from Tassal today about the health of Macquarie Harbour.

Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said,  “It is ironic the ‘good news’ released by Tassal today on the supposed ‘rapid recovery’  of Macquarie Harbour, based on its own internal research, comes just days before the release of the second IMAS report into environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour.