Turnbull's deeper ties with Japan reward its flouting of rules-based order with continued illegal whaling

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.

“Malcolm Turnbull could have used this occasion to serve a warrant to the Japanese Government to force it to attend the Federal Court and pay the outstanding $1 million fine it owes for breaching Australian law.

“Malcolm Turnbull is a hypocrite for going after state governments over law and order when he deliberately ignores the ongoing illegal actions of a foreign government. He either believes in a rules-baed international order or a he doesn’t.

“Australia should not deepen any ties with Japan while it continues to break Australian law and ignore international condemnation. We have leverage here to stop Japanese whaling but instead we are giving them everything they want while asking nothing in return.

“The Australian people expect the Australian PM to represent their interests in international affairs and the Australian people do not want whaling in our waters. It’s time for the PM to listen and act,” he concluded.