Media Release - 11 March 2026
The NSW minister responsible for the state’s failing shark net program claimed a whale death off Wollongong’s coastline was due to it being “sick” despite an expertly-prepared necroscopy ruling otherwise.
The 4.7 tonne whale was entangled in shark nets in October, 2025, before dying shortly after. State government officers recovered the shark net but failed to secure the whale at sea with the animal washed to a precarious rock shelf at Wombarra.
As per legislation, once the whale is on the land, it becomes the responsibility of the local council, with this incident costing Wollongong ratepayers $44,000.
The Greens at the local and state levels pushed for the NSW government to reimburse Wollongong Council; however, the request was refused.
At budget estimates this week, Emma Hurst MLC asked Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty about the decision to avoid assisting Wollongong Council.
Moriarty said: “The advice that I have is that the whale was sick, it was full of parasites, yes, there was an entanglement, but the review found it was sick and full of parasites. It is not the state government's responsibility to deal with managing these issues on beaches; that is the responsibility of councils.”
Greens Councillor and long-time anti-net campaigner Jess Whittaker’s question at the November council meeting revealed how much the tragic situation cost the city.
Jess said the Minister’s latest comment continues the government’s near-unblemished record of shirking responsibility.
“This Labor government will not take responsibility for anything, even with an issue they have created,” Jess said.
“The people of Wollongong witnessed a whale become entangled and drown in a shark net. The cause of death in the necroscopy of the whale was drowning.
“The assessment stated it was impossible to know if the juvenile whale would have recovered from this illness or passed away of natural causes. This misrepresentation by the Minister of the necroscopy findings is very disappointing. People in Wollongong are well aware that this whale drowned in a shark net.
“This incident also raises the question about the rising cost of whale recoveries on councils, and the hazards these operations pose to our staff. It is not unreasonable to expect the state government should start assisting with some of these costs.
“Whale recoveries used to be a fairly rare occurrence, but with Humpback populations dramatically recovering post the era of whaling, the need to remove them from the coast is becoming more common.
“A whale could be anywhere up to 40 tonnes, so removing it from a beach or rock shelf in a very short timeframe to protect the public is a big undertaking that involves heavy machinery, lots of staff time and assistance from specialist contractors.
“These hazardous recovery costs disproportionately impact the budgets of coastal councils. I’d like to see more collaboration when councils voice their concerns, particularly when there is a level of culpability from the state government.”
