
Census of whales in Australia
SBS Indonesian
03/07/2025 06:27 Indonesian Citizen scientists have taken part in the 26th annual whale census, with the number of reported sightings breaking the previous record set in 2023. Every year, Australians gather along the country's eastern coastline to document the world's longest mammal migration. About 40,000 humpback whales travel from Antarctica to warmer waters along the Australian coast where they mate, give birth and babysit their newborn babies. Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3pm.
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"Our methodologies, data integrity, and quality control processes are robust and verifiable," Mr Drewitt said. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates sunscreens in Australia, told the ABC it was recently made aware of Mr Drewitt's previous business record. However, the TGA told the ABC it did not directly regulate SPF testing by third-party labs such as PCR. Instead, it relied on self-certification by sunscreen manufacturers that their products met all regulatory requirements. "As such, the TGA does not hold information regarding whether PCR is engaged by a majority of sunscreen sponsors," a spokesperson said. "The TGA is investigating the Choice findings and will take regulatory action as required," the spokesperson said. The Cancer Council told the ABC it was committed to working closely with the TGA as they progressed their investigation. Campbell Richards, CEO of Baxter Laboratories, one of Australia's largest sunscreen manufacturers, which engages laboratories including PCR for testing, said the company took questions around the integrity of sunscreen testing seriously. "Confidence in SPF testing is a priority for us and for our partners. We recognise the significance of this moment for the category and are committed to contributing to clarity and trust across the sector," Mr Richards said. "We are monitoring developments closely and remain focused on ensuring that the products we are responsible for meet the expected standards of safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliance," he said. A TGA spokesperson also reiterated that sunscreen was "an important measure to prevent harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, in addition to seeking shade, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, wearing protective clothing and using sunglasses". The ABC approached all the other companies that had products which underperformed in the Choice review and used PCR for their original SPF certification. A spokesperson for Woolworths said all its own brand sunscreens were regularly tested as per Australian regulations. A spokesperson for Coles said as soon as it became aware of Choice's query it conducted a review, and its product met the necessary requirements. The ABC has confirmed Bondi Sands's underperforming sunscreen in Choice's review, its SPF 50+ Fragrance Free Sunscreen, also used PCR for its original testing. A spokesperson for Bondi Sands did not respond to specific questions about PCR's testing but said "we choose our manufacturing partners and testing laboratories carefully based on our high quality and safety standards". Sun Bum didn't reply to a series of questions, but the ABC has confirmed its product, which received an SPF rating of 39.5 in the Choice review, also had its validation SPF testing conducted by PCR. Aldi, Banana Boat, and Nivea also returned SPF results lower than their advertised claims in Choice's investigation, but would not disclose which labs conducted their testing. Neutrogena had one product that didn't meet its label claim, and told the ABC it didn't use PCR for its SPF testing for that product. In a statement from Invisible Zinc, which also didn't meet its label claim, said its testing was performed at an Australian lab, and not PCR. The MECCA sunscreen met its SPF claim according to the Choice review. A spokesperson for the company said it used PCR. "We are incredibly passionate about SPF and we take the formulation and testing of our sunscreen protection products extremely seriously," the MECCA spokesperson said. La Roche Posay's product also met its label claim but the company did not respond to the ABC's questions about which sunscreen lab it used.