Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the Greens decision to support a Senate disallowance of the new Commonwealth Marine Reserves Plans of Management.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Greens have consulted widely with stakeholders and the environment movement and will support the disallowance of the Liberals’ woefully inadequate marine reserve protections. Additionally we will work to lobby the cross-bench to support the disallowance to make sure we get the numbers for these inadequate plans to be voted down.

Greens waste and recyling spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the evidence heard at the Senate waste and recycling Inquiry held in Sydney today.

[NB: Short audios for key witness statements can be found below.]

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “It is official now. Australia is in a nationwide recycling and waste crisis. A system of kerbside recycling that has been in place for decades is collapsing. "

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says that the Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg has been proven wrong by a white shark population study and continues to misrepresent the data for base political purposes.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says that Japan announcing plans for a new whaling mother-ship is a slap-in-the-face to Australia’s anti-whaling position and shows that the Turnbull Government’s ever-weakening position on the issue is providing new confidence to pro-whaling forces in Japan.

Greens Healthy Oceans spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says Malcolm Turnbull is rewarding the bad behaviour of Japan by seeking deeper ties while ignoring its continued intransigence over whaling.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “Japanese whalers are currently in the Southern Ocean, just off the coast of Australia’s Antarctic Territories and slaughtering our whales in breach of Australian law and international condemnation.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the release of the Senate inquiry report (link here) into the “Current and future impacts of climate change on marine fisheries and biodiversity.” Senator Whish-Wilson instigated the Inquiry after a recent marine heatwave devastated fisheries and biodiversity off the coast of Tasmania.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, welcomes the release of the Australian Government footage obtained under Freedom of Information request by Sea Shepherd.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “This footage lays bare the brutality that is whaling. These whales are being killed and die slowly and in pain, sometimes drowning in their own blood. This slaughter happens for no legitimate reason and should be condemned.