Notification of activities affecting cetaceans in or beyond the Australian Whale Sanctuary

If you are a person who undertakes an activity that results in the unintentional death, injury, trading, taking, keeping, moving, harassment, chasing, herding, tagging, marking or branding a cetacean in or beyond the Australian Whale Sanctuary, or you are a person who undertakes an activity that results in the unintentional dividing, cutting up or extraction of any product from a legally killed, injured or taken cetacean, and your activity was not authorised by a permit, then you must notify the Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts within 7 days of becoming aware of the results of your activity.

This requirement to notify applies to activities:

provided for, and done in accordance with, a recovery plan or a wildlife conservation plan in force under Part 13 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
taken in a humane manner that are reasonably necessary to relieve or prevent suffering by a cetacean; or
necessary to prevent a risk to human health
necessary for the purposes of law enforcement
necessary to deal with an emergency involving a serious threat to human life or property; or
that occur as a result of an unavoidable accident
provided for, and taken in accordance with, a plan or regime that is accredited under Part 13 of the EPBC Act.

Failure to notify is an offence punishable on conviction by a fine.

Notifications should be sent to:

The Secretary
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
John Gorton Building
King Edward Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: +61 2 6274 1111
Fax: +61 2 6274 1666
Email: protected.species@environment.gov.au