Whish-Wilson: Call on Government to send customs vessel to Southern Ocean passes Senate
Senator Whish-Wilson’s motion passed in the Senate today.
*75 Senator Whish-Wilson: To move—That the Senate calls on the Government to:
(a) send a Customs vessel to the Southern Ocean now that the whaling season
has commenced, as it is important that Australia has a Southern Ocean
presence given the ongoing risk of confrontation between whalers and
protestors; and
(b) ensure that the resources devoted to patrolling illegal foreign fishing are not
diverted to other activities, including that the Australian Customs Vessel
Ocean Protector and/or its replacement is provided with sufficient funding
to devote an adequate level of patrol days in the Southern waters every
financial year