VZCZCXRO1219
PP RUEHPT
DE RUEHBY #0530 1560707
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050707Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1579
INFO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3567
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 5809
RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6397
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 4661
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 4623
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000530 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/OA PHELPS, COMMERCE PLEASE PASS NOAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA EFIS PREL SENV AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA WHALING PREP FOR IWC61 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 57020 
     ¶B. PHELPS-ATKINSON EMAIL 6//3/2009. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Australia does not plan to seek a 
resolution at the International Whaling Commission meetings 
in Madeira June 22-26 outside of consensus.  While generally 
concerned about the format and leadership of a future Small 
Working Group arrangement, the GOA has not yet reached an 
internal position on many details of the upcoming IWC 
discussions.  Environment Minister Garrett will attend the 
IWC meetings.  Australia continues to support the extended 
year of discussions on the future of the IWC.  The GOA hopes 
to provide detailed feedback to the questions in reftel by 
June 10.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Per instructions in refs, Econoff provided 
information and questions in ref A and B to Ruth Adler, 
recently appointed as Assistant Secretary in the Environment 
Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on 
June 5.  Adler, who has no background on whaling issues, has 
replaced Greg French in that position.  Adler told econoff 
that Australia greatly appreciated the strong May 20 
statement by CEQ Chair Sutley and NOAA Administrator 
Lubchenko.  Adler said that Australia's negotiating position 
was currently before Ministers for final decisions, but 
promised to study the information provided and get formal 
answers back to us on or about June 10.  Australian IWC 
Commissioner Petrochenko is currently on leave. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Separately, Econoff spoke with David Dutton, who has 
the day-to-day lead on whaling and the IWC for DFAT on June 4 
and 5.  Dutton, who is on leave, said he believed that U.S. 
concerns (ref B) about a possible Australian draft resolution 
at the IWC were a misunderstanding. Dutton said that although 
internal deliberations have not yet fixed many policy 
details, Australia has no draft text and there is no plan to 
lead a push for a resolution outside of a consensus document, 
which Dutton noted had been proposed by Japanese Fisheries 
Agency representative Nakamae.  Dutton said that, while 
Australia agreed that a resolution along the lines passed to 
USG officials in Washington would be helpful, there was no 
decision in Canberra to push unilaterally, and certainly not 
outside consensus, for such a result.  Dutton said that 
Australia's concerns about the Small Working Group were that 
it was too large and that the current chair had not been 
active enough in seeking outcomes.  He said the GOA would 
provide more detailed and formal thoughts on the SWG format 
and mandate following the Queen's Birthday (June 8) holiday. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The IWC was also raised with the Charge by 
Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 
Secretary Robyn Kruk during a courtesy call on June 4.  Kruk 
stressed the importance Environment Minister Garrett puts on 
the whaling issue, and confirmed that Garrett would attend 
the Commission meetings as head of delegation for Australia 
and Australia's alternative commissioner.  Charge reviewed 
U.S. commitment to a working IWC process that avoids the 
divisive rhetoric of the past.  Kruk, who acknowledged that 
she had a limited working knowledge of the ongoing 
discussions, said that the government would be under 
significant domestic pressure on the whaling issue, but that 
differences between the U.S. and Australia were largely 
tactical, not substantive. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment: Australia appears committed to working 
Q4. (SBU) Comment: Australia appears committed to working 
within the IWC process on the future of the Commission. 
While the lack of a breakthrough in the Small Working Group 
has left the GOA with fewer options, there does not appear to 
be a movement within government to accelerate legal action or 
disrupt forward progress in the IWC format.  The issue has 
been kept off the front page by the financial crisis, swine 
flu, and government scandal, but if public opinion rallies 
against a collaborative approach, PM Rudd, Garrett and 
Foreign Minister Smith will have very little room to do 
contemplate measures short of more confrontation during next 
year's whaling season and possible legal action against 
Japan.  End Comment. 
 
CLUNE