Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) dolphins are highly intelligent animals, with complex physical and behavioural needs – in the wild, they live in intricate social networks, are migratory and can travel more than 100 kilometres in a single day,

  (ii) captive environments are incapable of meeting the needs of dolphins and can severely impact their health and welfare, and

  (iii) the Parliament of Canada has passed legislation banning whales, dolphins and porpoises from being bred or held in captivity in most circumstances; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to work with states and territories to ban dolphin captivity for entertainment in Australia.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

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

Leave is granted for one minute.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This is yet another example of the arrogance of the Greens to presume that they know what dolphins are thinking and feeling. We have a horse. Our daughter has a wonderful horse named Clancy. Clancy is a horse, so he behaves in accordance with being a herd animal. People who take a horse out of a herd usually have a companion animal. We chose not to. Clancy is now on our acreage at home. He loves being with humans. He does not like being with horses. The point of the matter is that we don't know what animals think.

Secondly, dolphins like humans. That's a fact. That's well known. Dolphins are attracted to humans. These kinds of practices actually fund research into dolphins, and these kinds of businesses support the curing of dolphins recovering from being hit by boats. This is yet another example of the Greens pretending that they know everything.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

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

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not sure I can top that effort from Senator Roberts in any way. The Labor Party is quite comfortable with section (a)(i), which I think Senator Roberts was objecting to. Labor won't be supporting this motion, as it is primarily a state matter to deal with. I think these motions are quite blunt instruments. They don't allow the opportunity to explore some of the issues that this motion raises, which are around how you would ban dolphin captivity in Australia. It doesn't recognise the importance of people who work in jobs in the tourism industry. It raises a number of issues that we don't think can be dealt with within one minute of a debate for some senators. As such, we will be opposing the motion.

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

The question is that motion No. 152 standing in the name of Senator Faruqi be agreed to.