22 June 2008

Garrett: Good Morning everyone, thanks for coming down as we head to the whaling commission meeting in Chile this coming week.

Australia will take the strongest voice to this whaling commission meeting in Chile as we bring the most substantial set of reform proposals that have ever been seen and put them on the table for discussion.

I will be making very clear the strong, strong view that the Australian government and Australians have generally about the practice of killing whales in the name of science and I will be saying clearly and strongly at this whaling commission that we think there is a much better way of approaching the question of looking after our whales, conserving whales, looking at the economic benefits of live whales, working collaboratively with other countries in non-lethal whale research and making sure that the science that guides the commission is rigorous and subject to critical evaluation.

We have brought forward significant research that we will put on the table which shows clearly that the numbers of people who are gaining income from and participating in whale watching is increasing at a very significant rate, we are also bringing forward research and evidence which shows that the recovery prospects for many species of whales is by no means certain and we do know that at a time of climate change, at a time of changing conditions of increasing ship traffic, issues to do with whale habitat and whale feeding that these magnificent creatures need to be given every possible opportunity to recover to their pre-industrial populations and to ensure that the people of the world can enjoy the whale populations of the world.

So this will be an important meeting, it won’t be an easy meeting by any means, but we will have a very, very strong voice with our positive proposals on the table.

I expect the negotiations will be difficult, tense and tough but Australia’s voice will be strong at all times and having brought forward the most substantial, pro-conservation reforms that we have seen come into the commission in many, many years, we intend to go there and make sure that our proposals are taken seriously.

Journalist:  If you are going to be tough, you must be disappointed that Kevin Rudd wasn’t tougher in Japan?

Garrett: We have had a very significant engagement on this issue, we said that we would monitor and surveil the fleet we did, we said that we would have significant and enhanced diplomatic engagement with Japan and we have, a number of Ministers, a demarche, the Prime Minister, we said that we would go to the whaling commission with positive proposals for change, which look very clearly at what we need to do to as a global community to conserve whale populations, we have done the hard work.

Journalist: Don’t you think that there is one message coming from you and one message coming from Kevin Rudd?

Garrett:  The message has been absolutely consistent from the government on this and I have say that if you look at the passage of the last ten or eleven years all we ever saw was increases in quotas on the slaughter or the killing of whales in the southern ocean, there was no substantial reform looking at how we can address the question of looking after the whales in a way which merits the great concern and the great feeling that many people around the world and in Australia have for them.  What I would say is that Australia is actually producing a 21st Century template for conserving whales in our oceans and those proposals that we brought forward are so significant I want them to be properly and resolutely discussed when we get to the commission.

Journalist: Do you think that Japan will take you seriously given that the Prime Minister has ruled out taking International Court action?

Garrett:  Well it is not the case that we have ruled out taking International Court action at all, that remains an option, at this point in time we are focusing on International Whaling Commission, it is after all it is the place where the majority of the world’s nations have an interest in whaling will gather and I want to know that when we sit down on Monday in these forums, that every country has an opportunity to consider what we have brought forward. 

Remember we have done two things, we brought forward a serious proposal about how the commission might look at the primary issue of whale conservation and we have also brought forward a snapshot of research as to the conditions that whale populations may face now they are absolutely central and core to what the commission should be considering and I think they will seriously consider it.

Journalist:  inaudible

Garrett: What we will be presenting at the commission is the significant three tiered proposals that deals with reform and that deals with making sure that there is a strong and stringent scientific evaluation of these issues that the scientists are considering commission, that we work collaboratively with other nations on non-lethal whale research and that also we consider additional protection measures for whale populations and I have to say that I was very, very encouraged by the Chilean government, effectively ruling out the killing of whales in their national waters as a precursor to this meeting, we are also going to be bringing forward research that we commissioned from scientists here in Australia showing that the threats whale populations still face, particularly the threats they face from climate change are very real and the commission needs to consider those.

Journalist:  What do you think is a realistic outcome for this meeting?

Garrett: I very much hope that from this meeting we can see a strong move by the commission towards a 21st Century agenda of conservation for whales not simply counting the number whales that countries want to kill, that will be a really significant achievement if we can get countries to focus on these issues that we have brought forward, but we don’t pretend for a minute that it is going to be easy, we know it won’t, the numbers are close the discussions and the negotiations have always been difficult and tense, votes have been lost in the past, it is not an easy forum to operate in, but we take a very strong voice and frankly a very positive proposals for these countries to have a serious look at.

Journalist: In the past it has come down to just a few votes are you confident that Australia can win over those remaining votes?

Garrett:  Well I want to wait and see what the situation is when I get to Chile, when I have an opportunity to meet with Minister’s and senior officials from other countries and get a sense of what their country’s views are and what they might say or do over time.

Journalist:  Are you worried about the IWC inaudible?

Garrett:  Well we need a body that is responsible for determining this critical question of how we treat whale populations and how we manage them and Australia’s strong view is that the IWC is an organisation that can achieve its task and it’s roles so well as long as it recognises the very strong views that countries have about conserving whales and not killing them and so long as it starts to take a 21st Century view of these issues, in other words look at what underlies the sustainability of these whale populations, identify the risks and threats, start agreeing on united and concerted action to address those threats and point out the opportunities that many states would have for actually building economies on the basis of looking at whales, enjoying whales rather than killing whales.

Journalist:  On a different issue, the Opposition today is suggesting that there might have been a federal government cover up on behalf of Belinda Neal, how do you respond to that?

Garrett: I don’t propose to make additional comments on this matter, it is something which is the subject of a police investigation in NSW and I don’t propose to add anything to that.

Journalist:  But do you think that it is a bit far-fetched?

Garrett: Well again, I am not making any comments on this matter, other than to say that it is the subject of a police investigation in NSW and on that basis I don’t propose to add any further comments to what has already been said.

Journalist: Julie Bishop has said that petrol should be at least five cents cheaper than it in regards to excise, is that policy on the run?

Garrett:  Look I haven’t seen Ms Bishop’s comments, but what I would say is that as we head to the International Whaling Commission with the most profound and substantial reform agenda we have seen to produced to the International Whaling Commission ever from this government, now Ms Bishop’s comments about other matters, what she may have said, I haven’t seen the comments and I don’t propose to respond to them, but what I can say is that if you’re serious about these issues, then you have a budget that runs in surplus, you produce significant and cogent public policy deliberations in terms of emissions trading schemes, you make sure that you have a focus on hybrid and green cars and you accept that it is a responsible budget that enables people in this country to have confidence in the way in which the issues that have to face in terms of cost of living measures and others are actually addressed, not what the coalition has been on about in the last week or two which looks like holding up legislation which is necessary for implementation in the Senate.  Thank you.