Aussies' approach to whaling 'differs' to ours'

Relevant offers

Politics

Global economy may hit Budget Fay group would meet Chinese undertakings Trevor Mallard: I'm no ticket scalper Govt says asset sales will cut debt Greens: Crafar approval politically motivated Banks named as new ACT leader China 'will see Crafar ruling as racist' Govt may sell smaller slice of SOEs BSA grilled over John Key radio show TVNZ show dumps Labour leader

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has taken a gentle swipe at Australia over whaling, saying that while New Zealand is taking it "methodically", the Australians are being influenced by election year politics.

Prime Minister John Key denied yesterday that there was any rift with Australia, but earlier Mr McCully said the two countries were "in quite different places".

Whaling was again on the agenda at Parliament yesterday, after Australia had refused to support a compromise led by New Zealand's representative at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Florida.

The draft proposal, led by Sir Geoffrey Palmer, was to again allow commercial whaling but with a 10-year sinking lid on the number that could be caught.

Australia rejected the draft proposal and reiterated a threat to take legal action at the International Court of Justice if a diplomatic solution is not agreed by November.

Mr McCully said yesterday that the two countries were taking a different approach toward the same ends.

"It's fair enough, I think, to observe that in Australia it's an election year and this is a hot political topic in Australia.

"However the Australian Government handles its domestic politics is a matter for them but it does create a different background as against our own situation."

Asked if he meant the Australian threat of legal action was a political ploy, Mr McCully said: "No, I'm simply saying that New Zealand is taking this methodically."

He said that Australia may not even want New Zealand's support for any possible legal action.

New Zealand already had a temporary judge on the ICJ and Australia did not.

That meant Australia would be deprived of having one of its own judges adjudicating in any case.

But Mr Key said New Zealand was "not in a different position to Australia".

Commercial whaling "might be acceptable if it was acceptable to others", he said.

Labour's foreign affairs spokesman Chris Carter said New Zealand was "kowtowing" to pressure from a handful of countries.

"In a little over a year John Key has turned New Zealand from being a world leader in marine mammal conservation to being an active advocate for the resumption of commercial whaling."