Parliament
looking at whether Australia’s regulations allow poached ivory and horns to be
passed off as antiques
Australian
Associated Press
Tue
3 Jul 2018 09.53 BST
Australia’s
failure to regulate the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horns could be
contributing to the demise of the animals, a parliamentary committee has heard.
The
committee is looking into the country’s regulations and whether they allow
newly-poached ivory and horns to be passed off as antiques.
Australia
has a ban on ivory imports but it’s legal to buy and sell ivory items
domestically.
The
Department of Environment and Energy revealed during a public hearing in Sydney
on Tuesday it “does not regulate domestic sales of items containing elephant
ivory and rhino horn”.
Rather,
it is responsible for implementing strict international trade requirements that
limit imports and exports, including for research or if the item is vintage.
Labor
senator Lisa Singh, who pushed for the inquiry, said the government had a role
in enforcing the rules and its lack of regulation was a “failure”.
She claims 50 auction houses across the country are known to trade in ivory and rhino horns.
“We need to determine whether we are creating an opportunity for laundering of illegal wildlife horns and ivory into Australia and through the country,” she said.
She claims 50 auction houses across the country are known to trade in ivory and rhino horns.
“We need to determine whether we are creating an opportunity for laundering of illegal wildlife horns and ivory into Australia and through the country,” she said.
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