2010-2011-2012

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

THE SENATE

Presented and read a first time

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Monitoring of Whaling) Bill 2012

No.      , 2012

(Senator Bob Brown)

A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to require the monitoring of whaling activities by foreign whaling vessels

Contents

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

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

3............ Schedule(s)......................................................................................... 1

Schedule 1—Amendment of Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999             2

A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to require the monitoring of whaling activities by foreign whaling vessels

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

                   This Act may be cited as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Monitoring of Whaling) Act 2012.

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                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.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 236

Insert:

236A  Monitoring foreign whaling vessels

(1) A Commonwealth vessel must monitor the activities of foreign whaling vessels in and around the Australian Whale Sanctuary.

(2) The Minister must cause to be made public a report on the activities of the foreign whaling vessels being monitored in the Australian Whale Sanctuary pursuant to subsection (1) within 30 days from the start of the monitoring and within 30 days of its completion.

             (3)  In this section:

Commonwealth vessel means a vessel that is owned, possessed or controlled by the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth agency, excluding vessels under the command or control of an arm of the Defence Force.

foreign whaling vessel has the same meaning as in subsection 236(5).