Greens Healthy Oceans spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, is calling on Australia to put urgent diplomatic pressure on Japan after Japanese Government sources revealed they will withdraw from the International Whaling Commission in a bid to resume commercial whaling. 

Greens spokesperson for Whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson says that the Australian Government's failure to keep their promise to monitor Japanese whaling activity in the Southern Ocean means a slaughter in the Southern Ocean is immenent this Christmas.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Liberal Government is showing a perverse lack of will in failing to send a patrol boat and protect Australian waters from whaling.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson today met with the Sea Shepherd crew in Hobart before they leave to search for the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "In the dying hours of the last day of the Parliamentary year, the Australian Senate passed my motion condemning illegal whaling and the slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean.

"The Senate also called for the Government to uphold their election commitment to send a Customs vessel to the Southern Ocean to monitor illegal whaling activity.