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.

Greens Senator for Tasmania and spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the legal developments in the Tasmanian salmon industry.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Greens warned that this would happen and we were labelled by the Tasmanian Minister in charge as scaremongers out to destroy the industry. Time and time again our warnings have been proved right.

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."

Greens spokesperson for Whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson says that the Australian Government's failure to keep their promise to monitor Japanese whaling activity in the Southern Ocean means a slaughter in the Southern Ocean is immenent this Christmas.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Liberal Government is showing a perverse lack of will in failing to send a patrol boat and protect Australian waters from whaling.