[Green-Activist] Fwd: RE: Response from Martin Ferguson AM MP fromwhaling

Wed Nov 28 07:10:55 EST 2007

Oh, the shame of having this offensive political dinosaur as my local
Member.  At least the good news is that the Greens vote in Ferguson's
electorate (Batman) has increased a huge 3%, and I expect the final Greens
vote here to be over 17%, making this "safest Labor seat in Australia" also
one of the top half-dozen seats in the country for the Greens!

But certainly pressure needs to be applied now, to ensure the ALP wastes no 
time in carrying out its election commitments re whale protection.  Letters 
to inactive Ferguson will probably make little difference (he wouldn't even 
discuss the election result with his local paper, much to their anger!), but 
don't forget Labor senators too.

Chris Chaplin
Preston

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clemens Vermeulen" <clemens at altnews.com.au>
To: <green-activist at lists.altnews.com.au>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 11:06 AM
Subject: [Green-Activist] Fwd: RE: Response from Martin Ferguson AM MP
fromwhaling

>
> ----------  Forwarded message  ----------
>
> Subject: RE: Response from Martin Ferguson AM MP from whaling
> Date: ma, 26 nov 2007
> From: "Madden, Kirsty (Martin Ferguson, MP)" <Kirsty.Madden at aph.gov.au>
> To: "Chris Sullivan" <chris at livinglightcentre.org>
>
> Thank you for your email, Chris.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Sullivan [mailto:chris at livinglightcentre.org]
> Sent: Monday, 26 November 2007 12:17 AM
> To: Madden, Kirsty (Martin Ferguson, MP)
> Subject: Re: Response from Martin Ferguson AM MP from whaling
>
>
> Dear Martin (Kirsty)
>
> Thanks for your prompt and courteous response (albeit in the
> standard ALP format). It may interest you to know that we received 13
> responses from the ALP, and 0 responses from the Coalition! Strange that
> they got done like a dinner on Saturday :-) !
>
> Congratulations on your (and our) success. We would also implore
> the revitalised ALP to act on this matter at your earliest convenience -
> as per your response. It seems pathetic that Australia has had to rely
> on Sea Shepherd to protect our wildlife from illegal Japanese attacks in
> our Australian Whale Sanctuary.
>
> The stench of corruption languishes in the air when our Navy
> confiscates small fishing boats manned by impoverished Indonesian
> fishermen, and looks the other way when wealthy Japanese ships openly
> and illegally attack our whale sanctuary.
>
> Yours in congratulatory service,
>
> Chris
>
> Madden, Kirsty (Martin Ferguson, MP) wrote:
>
> 21 November 2007
> Ref: MF:KM
>
> Chris Sullivan
> chris at livinglightcentre.org
> <mailto:chris at livinglightcentre.org>
>
> EMAIL RESPONSE
>
> Dear Chris,
>
> Thank you for writing to me regarding the protection of
> whales.
>
> I share your abhorrence of whaling. There is absolutely
> no justification for the slaughter of these amazing animals.
>
> Japan has killed more than 400 whales in Australian
> waters since 2000. Exploiting a loophole that allows for so-called
> 'scientific whaling', Japan intends to slaughter an even larger number
> of whales in 2007 and 2008, including humpback whales, the mainstay of
> Australia's $300 million-a-year whale-watching industry.
>
> The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has passed
> more than forty resolutions opposing the charade of 'scientific'
> whaling, including in Alaska in 2007, but sadly, Japan has sought only
> to increase its catch.
>
> On 18 May 2007, Federal Labor announced a bold new
> approach to protect our whales, including commitments to:
>
> *       Take Japan to international courts such as the
> International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law
> of the Sea to end the slaughter of whales;
>
> *       Make formal representations to the Japanese
> authorities - at bilateral and multilateral meetings - about its
> practice of whaling;
>
> *       Enforce Australian law banning the slaughter of
> whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary;
> *       Monitor and surveillance of whaling vessels
> operating in Australian waters, and intercept vessels operating
> illegally in the Australian fishing zone; and
>
> *       Establish a national network of whale and
> dolphin sanctuaries.
>
> Meanwhile, the Howard Government has demonstrated its
> lack of serious commitment to end whaling, refusing calls to monitor
> whalers operating in the Southern Ocean, and rejecting international
> legal action, including seven options put forward by the expert Sydney
> Legal Panel in May 2007.
>
> The Government also stands in the way of enforcing its
> own laws banning the slaughter of whales in the Australian Whale
> Sanctuary.
>
> Protecting whales - and preserving our $300 million
> whale-watching industry - requires more than the Howard Government's
> hollow words and inaction.
>
> Federal Labor will pursue a fresh approach to end
> whaling, taking an international and domestic leadership role to protect
> these beautiful creatures.
>
> Thank you for taking the time to write regarding this
> important issue.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Martin Ferguson AM MP
> Federal Member for Batman
> Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> -- 
> Clemens Vermeulen
>
> contact: http://clemens.vermeulen.id.au/contact
>
> -- 
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