2008‑2009‑2010

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

THE SENATE

Presented and read a first time

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Support for Whaling) Bill 2010

No.      , 2010

(Senators Siewert and Abetz)

A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to prohibit the provision of services, support and resources to whaling ventures

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................ 1

2............ Commencement.................................................................................. 1

3............ Schedule(s).......................................................................................... 2

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999           3

A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to prohibit the provision of services, support and resources to whaling ventures

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

                   This Act may be cited as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Support for Whaling) Act 2010.

2  Commencement

                   This Act commences on the day after it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

1  After section 229D

Insert:

229E  Providing support to whaling

             (1)  A person commits an offence if the person provides any service, support or resources to an organisation engaged in whaling.

             (2)  An offence against subsection (1) is punishable on conviction by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine not exceeding 1,000 penalty units, or both.

Note 1:       Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code sets out the general principles of criminal responsibility.

Note 2:       Subsection 4B(3) of the Crimes Act 1914 lets a court fine a body corporate up to 5 times the maximum amount the court could fine a person under this subsection.

             (3)  In this section:

whaling means any activity, or any activity undertaken as part of a venture, the intention of which is to kill, injure, take, trade or treat whales, whether for commercial or other purposes, and includes:

                     (a)  any action undertaken with the intention of contravening section 229, 229A, 229B, 229C, 229D or 230, even if no such contravention occurs; and

                     (b)  any activity undertaken by or on board a foreign whaling vessel.

Note:          Sections 229, 229A, 229B, 229C, 229D and 230 set out offences relating to killing, injuring, taking etc., treating and possessing cetaceans.

2  Section 231

After “229D”, insert “, 229E”.