Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 691 standing in my name, relating to shark conservation.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species was held in Manila in October 2017,

  (ii) a consensus agreement among 50 nations from Asia, Africa and Europe decided to add blue sharks, dusky whalers and white-spotted wedgefish to a list of species requiring additional protection, and

  (iii) the Government subsequently submitted reservations to the listing of the three species, which applies exemptions of the agreed protections within Australian waters;

(b) notes, with concern, the public statements of the Minister for the Environment (Mr Frydenberg) on matters relating to lethal measures to mitigate the risk of human encounters with protected Great White Sharks, including urging state governments to adopt nets and drum lines which have not proven to make beaches safe for humans, but are indiscriminate killers of protected marine life such as dolphins, whales, other endangered shark species and turtles; and

(c) calls upon the Government to continue the pre-Coalition Government tradition of Australia being an international leader in shark conservation and meet international expectations and standards in the protection of the Great White Shark, blue shark, dusky whalers and white-spotted wedgefish in Australian waters.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia continues to seek a responsible balance between shark conservation, beach protection measures and sustainable fisheries management. Without a reservation, the consequences of the listing will be to impose more onerous obligations on Australia than for other parties to the convention. This is due to provisions in Australia's domestic legislation. The combination of the reservation, sound domestic fisheries management measures and ongoing strong participation in the convention's memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks brings Australia's response into line with that of all other convention parties.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was happy to amend the motion to take out the words the environment minister had been belligerent about in his statements about protection of great white sharks and encouraging the Western Australian government to put in place lethal mitigation methods such as drum lines and shark nets. But I understand that Labor also wanted me to amend the motion to take out the words in clause (b) on the sixth and seventh lines, which has 'drum lines which have not proven to make beaches safe for humans', and put in something different. I want to be very clear here today that the evidence in front of the Senate committee and a very exhaustive inquiry made it clear that drum lines and shark nets do not make beaches safe. Technically, they may make them safer, if they kill a single shark. That's a mathematical thing. But they do not make beaches safe. It is 100 per cent accurate. And if you support drum lines and lethal nets then you support the killing—indiscriminate slaughter—of marine life. So forget the bloody protocols. If you support those things you support killing sharks. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 691 be agreed to.

Question negatived.