該 gāi 說法 shuō fǎ 包含 bāo hán 重大 zhòng dà 事實 shì shí 錯誤 cuò wù , , 誤導 wù dǎo 了 le 實際 shí jì 發生 fā shēng 的 de 情況 qíng kuàng 。 。
The claim contains significant factual inaccuracies that misrepresent what actually occurred.
**Australia did NOT "withdraw from a UN convention."** What actually happened was that in January 2015, the Australian government lodged a "reservation" against five specific shark species (three thresher shark species and two hammerhead shark species) that had been listed for protection at the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) meeting in Quito, Ecuador in November 2014 [1].
As Environment Minister Greg Hunt's office stated at the time: "The Australian government will continue to actively participate in shark conservation under the convention as a signatory of the memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks, and through $4.6m funding for shark research and conservation activities" [1][2].
Australia's stated rationale:** The government explained the reservation was necessary to avoid "unintended consequences" for Australian fishers, who could face fines up to $170,000 and two years imprisonment under the international protections, even if they were fishing legally under Australian permits [1].
Domestic legal framework:** Neither the hammerhead nor thresher species were listed as threatened under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act at the time [1].
New South Wales had already passed legislation protecting hammerhead sharks in state waters [1], and the federal government was conducting studies to assess whether hammerhead variants should be nationally listed as threatened [1].
**3.
Australia's broader shark conservation commitments:** At the time of the reservation, Australia had Shark-plan 2 (the second National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks), which was released in July 2012 under the previous Labor government and reaffirmed Australia's commitment to shark conservation [4].
Influence of fishing lobby:** Documents obtained by The Guardian in April 2015 revealed that the recreational fishing industry's concerns held significant sway over the government's decision, with the Australian National Sportfishing Association's views prominently featured in departmental briefings to the minister, while scientific agencies like CSIRO and conservation group concerns were not included [5].
The original source provided is **The Guardian**, a mainstream international news organization with a center-left editorial stance.
該 gāi 文章 wén zhāng 由 yóu 當時 dāng shí 《 《 衛報 wèi bào 》 》 澳洲 ào zhōu 版 bǎn 的 de 環境 huán jìng 記者 jì zhě Oliver Oliver Milman Milman 撰寫 zhuàn xiě 。 。
The article was written by Oliver Milman, The Guardian Australia's environment correspondent at the time.
**Assessment:** The Guardian is generally considered a reputable source with established journalistic standards.
However, the original article's headline uses the phrase "seeks to opt out," which while technically accurate regarding the specific species, could be misinterpreted as broader non-compliance.
The article itself accurately describes the "reservation" mechanism and provides both the government's justification and conservationist criticism, demonstrating reasonable balance in reporting [1].
The claim source (mdavis.xyz) is Labor-aligned, which may explain the misleading framing that overstates the nature of Australia's action as a "withdrawal from a convention" rather than a targeted reservation on specific species listings.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Labor government shark conservation policy CMS convention reservation"
**Finding:** While there is no direct equivalent of lodging a reservation against CMS listings under Labor, both major parties have faced criticism over shark conservation and management policies:
1. **Shark-plan 2 was released under Labor:** The National Plan of Action for Sharks (Shark-plan 2) was released in July 2012 under the Gillard Labor government [4], establishing the framework that the Coalition government cited when justifying its reservation.
* * * *
This demonstrates bipartisan support for the domestic regulatory approach.
2. **Shark culling policies:** A 2017 Senate inquiry into shark mitigation and deterrent measures found that both the Coalition and Labor submitted dissenting reports when the majority recommended reforms to lethal shark control programs [6].
Labor Senators condemned Western Australia's 2014 shark cull trial as "absurd" but both parties have historically supported shark mitigation programs that conservationists criticize [6].
3. **Broader environmental pattern:** This is **not unique to the Coalition** - Australian governments of both persuasions have sometimes prioritized economic interests (fishing, tourism) over stricter international conservation measures.
Both parties have balanced commercial fishing industry concerns with environmental obligations.
**Conclusion:** The specific action of lodging a CMS reservation was a Coalition government decision in 2015, but the underlying tension between fishing industry interests and conservation obligations has been managed by both parties, with Labor establishing the domestic framework the Coalition later relied upon.
While conservation groups like Humane Society International called the reservation an "unprecedented act of domestic and international environmental vandalism" [1], the full story requires consideration of both the criticisms and the government's stated rationale.
**Legitimate criticisms:**
- Australia had not made such a reservation against CMS species listings before, making this a concerning precedent [1]
- Documents revealed fishing industry concerns were prioritized over scientific and conservation advice in departmental briefings [5]
- The reservation contradicted the precautionary principle of safeguarding wildlife when data is uncertain [5]
- Hammerhead sharks migrate between Australian and Indonesian waters, requiring international cooperation [1]
**Government justification:**
- The reservation protected recreational fishers from potential criminal penalties ($170,000 fines, 2 years imprisonment) for catching sharks that were legal under Australian permits [1]
- Australia maintained that domestic protections were already effective for these species
- The government continued broader shark conservation commitments through the Sharks MoU and $4.6M in research funding [1][2]
- Neither species was listed as threatened under Australia's EPBC Act at the time [1]
**Key context:** The claim's framing as "withdrawing from a UN convention" is **misleading**.
* * * * 合理 hé lǐ 的 de 批評 pī píng : : * * * *
Australia made a targeted reservation on 5 specific species while remaining fully engaged with the CMS convention.
The "2 months after agreeing" framing is also misleading - Australia did not actively vote against the listings in November 2014, but chose not to object while reserving the right to lodge a reservation before implementation.
Australia did not "withdraw from a UN convention" - it lodged a reservation against five specific shark species listings while remaining a signatory to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and continuing its broader shark conservation commitments [1][2].
The "2 months after agreeing to the convention" framing is also misleading - Australia had been party to the CMS convention since 1991, and the November 2014 meeting was about specific species listings, not joining the convention itself.
While the underlying fact that Australia sought to avoid protections for specific shark species is true, the claim's characterization exaggerates and misrepresents the nature and scope of the government's action.
最終分數
4.0
/ 10
誤導
該 gāi 說 shuō 法 fǎ 的 de 核心 hé xīn 定性 dìng xìng 在 zài 事實 shì shí 上 shàng 是 shì 不 bù 準確 zhǔn què 的 de 。 。
The claim is factually inaccurate in its core characterization.
Australia did not "withdraw from a UN convention" - it lodged a reservation against five specific shark species listings while remaining a signatory to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and continuing its broader shark conservation commitments [1][2].
The "2 months after agreeing to the convention" framing is also misleading - Australia had been party to the CMS convention since 1991, and the November 2014 meeting was about specific species listings, not joining the convention itself.
While the underlying fact that Australia sought to avoid protections for specific shark species is true, the claim's characterization exaggerates and misrepresents the nature and scope of the government's action.