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Australia's whale protection policy

In 1979 Australia committed to a vigorous and active policy of whale protection. Since then it has been working to end whaling in Australian waters and to pursue an end to commercial whaling throughout the world. The 'commitment to protect the whale' has been reiterated and strengthened since 1979.

25th anniversary of whale protection in Australia

The 25th Anniversary of Australia's anti-whaling policy was celebrated in 2004. It was in 1979 that Australia ended whaling in Australian waters and began work towards the international protection and conservation of whales. This decision was based on the outcomes of an Inquiry into Whaling in 1978. The inquiry recognised issues such as diminishing whale populations and the inhumane methods for killing whales as a firm basis for moving towards the protection of whale species.

Under Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, the Australian Government adopted a policy in 1979 which actively opposed whaling both domestically and internationally. This marked the beginning of Australia's stand on the international stage against whaling. Under its new policy Australia was instrumental in the securing of the global moratorium on whaling a few years later.

National Task Force on Whaling

In 1996, the Government commissioned a National Task Force on Whaling to assess Australia's progress on whale protection and recommend further initiatives. The Task Force reported to the Government in 1997. The Government endorsed the Task Force's recommendations to strengthen its policy. Australia's policy is now to make the international ban on commercial whaling permanent, and to pursue worldwide protection for all cetaceans, primarily through the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The Australian Government believes that this is the correct policy because:

commercial whaling is not required to meet essential human needs;
even with modern improvements, whale killing methods continue to involve an unacceptable level of cruelty; and
people world-wide are increasingly recognising, and benefiting from whale protection

Types of whaling

Australia opposes all commercial whaling, including that undertaken in the name of scientific research. Lethal research programs are considered unnecessary for the advancement of scientific knowledge. Primarily, they serve to supply whale meat to commercial markets. Australia nonetheless recognises the needs of some subsistence cultures for continued whaling to meet genuine traditional, cultural and dietary needs.

In 1997 the National Task Force concluded that, apart from aboriginal subsistence whaling, there is no need for whales to be killed to provide food for human consumption...

There being no reason that whales should be killed, the Task Force finds no difficulty in endorsing the proposition that they should not be.
National Task Force on Whaling, 1997: p.13

The case for the permanent international ban on commercial whaling is:

the ethically compelling one to adopt;
the ecologically and environmentally correct one to adopt;
one based on the lack of necessity for such a cruel practice to continue; and
one based upon the proper application of the precautionary principle...

Consequently, the Task Force recommends that a permanent international ban on commercial whaling should be the long term principal objective of Australian national policy.
National Task Force on Whaling, 1997: p.14

International affiliations and cooperation

The Australian Government is party to a number of multi-lateral agreements related to whales. These include:

International Whaling Commission (IWC) , which was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, to which Australia was one of the first signatories in 1946. The main duty of the IWC is to keep under review the measures which govern the conduct of whaling throughout the world.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) , which is an international Convention agreed to regulate international trade in species threatened with extinction. Australia is one of more than 170 countries that are a party to CITES. CITES Appendix I lists all of the great whale species, 10 of which occur within the South Pacific region.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) , which is an international treaty aimed to conserve terrestrial, marine and migratory species and their habitats on a global scale. Australia was one of the foundation signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region under the auspices of the CMS in September 2006. CMS Appendix I lists six, and Appendix II three, of the great whale species which occur in the South Pacific region.

More information

Protecting whales and dolphins fact sheet