The Coalition has been accused of breaking an election promise by announcing it will send an aircraft, rather than a ship, to monitor Japanese whaling activity in the Southern Ocean.
The environment minister, Greg Hunt, said on Sunday an A319 aircraft, co-ordinated and staffed by Customs personnel, would be deployed for the monitoring from January to March. The Greens have called on Hunt to resign over the decision, which they describe as “weak” and a clear breach of an election promise.
Hunt has come under pressure to move quickly to fulfil an election pledge to monitor the Japanese fleet, which is closing in on Antarctic waters claimed by Australia.
Hunt said the aircraft would monitor activities by “all groups in the Southern Ocean”, a reference to a trio of Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessels already dispatched to the Southern Ocean to confront the Japanese.
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