What is this article all about..?

After all , what is the past? Our ancestors all lived in caves and killed anything that was slower than them and then cooked it over the fires that started Global Warming... so it's all their bloody fault.

It's all a case of " That was then , This is now " to quote my Ex Wife during the divorce proceedings.

As for ..."One can argue that Australia was built on the whale’s back - not the sheep’s."... Please spare me the rewriting of History.. I am from the generation that actually studied the Stuff !!

I will give up trying to ascertain the Authors point other than to confirm that Yes , we were once Whalers and for for the last 50 years , we have not been Whalers... So What ?

When Australia was involved in whaling, the products that came from them had important economic uses. That is not the case now as they have all been replaced by better alternatives. The difference between us and Japan is the fact that we recognise that and Japan doesn't. They just use the excuse of "scientific study" to continue the slaughter.

I agree insofar as that our whaling history is conveniently written out of history, but the main thrust of the argument has as many holes as an old whaling ship. Britain was the epicentre of the world's massive slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries, but that doesn't make them hypocritical for arguing for human rights in the 21st.

“it is hard to write a history of our nation, without acknowledging our whaling past” Ben, you have just referred to one (and there are others) – so maybe it is time to loosen the corsets a bit. Are yours still the old whalebone variety?.

But Greg;

Slaving is immoral as it enchains fellow human beings; I do not hold to morality arguments regarding the freedom of non human organisms; greed and cruelty yes.

Which allows for humane sustainable harvesting of whales. So, what about Australian whaling in the future?

Think of all those biodynamic non-fossil sources of hydrocarbons of unusual composition (and protein), each production unit having a fine free-range life; never having a bad day and then surgically brought in with a (large) tranquiliser dart.

Things may indeed change and not as you think.

I did not have to dig far to find a range of articles on whaling and it's place in our history.

http://www.tangalooma.com/assets/dolphins/whaling%20station%20history.pdf

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/sunday-mail/the-slaughter-at-tangalooma/story-e6frep3f-1111114898667

http://australian-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_of_moreton_island_whaling_queensland

http://www.bigvolcano.com.au/human/whaling.htm

http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/whaling.htm

http://www.byronbayguide.com.au/info/byron-bay-whales-and-dolphin-watching/363/byron-bays-whaling-station-history.cfm

And plenty more readily available.

R0bert