Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Education and Training) (14:38): I thank the senator for his question. This government, as indeed all of the preceding governments of all political persuasions, is very disappointed by Japan's actions in relation to whaling in the Southern Ocean. The Australian government has raised the matter regularly at the highest levels of government, including by the Prime Minister, the foreign minister and the environment minister. We remain opposed to all forms of commercial whaling and strongly support the global moratorium on commercial whaling. The Australian government welcomed the decision of the International Court of Justice, in March 2014, that found that Japan's whaling program in the Southern Ocean was not for the purposes of scientific research and ordered that program to cease. It is Australia's view, and the view of many other countries, that the International Whaling Commission has not completed its review of Japan's new whaling program and that Japan should refrain from any whaling until this process is completed, in late 2016. The International Court of Justice has found Japan's whaling program was unlawful and not for the purpose of scientific research. The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Whish-Wilson, do you have a point of order? Senator WHISH-WILSON: I have a point of order on relevance. My question related to the promise by the coalition—Senator Colbeck and Minister Hunt—to send a Customs vessel to patrol and monitor Japanese whaling. I asked if that had occurred and what information they could share about how many whales have been slaughtered in the Southern Ocean this summer? The PRESIDENT: I will remind the minister of the question and advise the minister that he has 54 seconds in which to answer. Senator BIRMINGHAM: It is the Australian government's view that Japan should not be undertaking these actions and we have made that very clear to the Japanese government. It is also the view of the Australian government that in terms of what may be happening in the Southern Ocean these are matters that we will not specifically comment on, but we will make sure that we follow all the proper processes in our engagement with Japan and other nations through the International Whaling Commission with the evidence becomes available as it does through all of the usual IWC processes.