Bob McMullan (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Attorney-General’s motion, which recognises the 60th anniversary of the Geneva conventions of 1949. This motion reaffirms Australia’s strong and enduring commitment to the law and spirit of the conventions and to the international humanitarian laws of which the conventions are the bedrock. The conventions provide protection for those who are most vulnerable in times of armed conflict: civilians, particularly women and children, the sick and wounded, prisoners of war, and medical and religious personnel. The conventions uphold absolutely that all protected people are entitled to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manners and customs. They remain the cornerstone for the respect and protection of human dignity in armed conflict.

The conventions also regulate the means and methods of warfare. As the technologies and tactics of war have become more sophisticated, the conventions have created necessary limitations on their use. The nature of armed conflict has changed over time, but unfortunately abuse in armed conflict continues. The types of war crimes we witness in contemporary armed conflict—attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, hostage-taking and torture—show the enduring relevance of the Geneva conventions and the protections they contain.

Australia is a strong supporter of the law and the spirit of the Geneva conventions. In this regard I am pleased that the Attorney-General has been able to advise the House of the decision of the government to recently ratify Additional Protocol III to the Geneva conventions. This protocol establishes a third neutral emblem for use by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, the red crystal. The red crystal, along with the red cross and the red crescent, is an international symbol of protection identifying persons and facilities providing medical or humanitarian aid in armed conflict and natural disasters. The new emblem will enable Red Cross societies who do not prefer to identify with either the cross or the crescent symbol to instead use the crystal to identify them as members of the Red Cross-Red Crescent movement. Such an emblem will be of immeasurable benefit in combat zones in helping secure the safety of the eligible humanitarian workers in all countries regardless of their location or political situation.

Australia’s commitment to the protection of civilians and the elimination of inhumane methods of warfare was demonstrated when we became one of the original signatories to the Cluster Munitions Convention in December 2008. The convention prohibits the use of those inherently unreliable munitions, which cause unacceptable suffering to civilians. It also obliges states to clear areas contaminated with unexploded cluster munitions and to provide assistance for victims and their communities. As my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, has said, the Cluster Munitions Convention is a remarkable humanitarian achievement.

I have had the welcome opportunity to meet on two occasions with Dr Jakob Kellenberger, the President of the ICRC. On both those occasions I was struck by the breadth and depth of work of the ICRC in defence of the conventions, in particular in what Dr Kellenberger identified to me as their three current priority regions: Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories and the Horn of Africa.

I have also had the opportunity of meeting with the representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, including a very senior Australian working at the top level in that organisation. Those two organisations, together with the Australian Red Cross, do remarkable work of which we should all be proud. I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the tireless humanitarian work of those organisations and particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross as the guardian of the Geneva conventions, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the Australian Red Cross.

In 2009, Australia has so far provided over $20 million to support these humanitarian organisations to protect and assist civilians affected by conflict and natural disaster. The dedicated staff of these organisations work in some of the most remote and dangerous parts of the world to promote and strengthen international humanitarian law. On the 60th anniversary of the Geneva conventions, we commend their efforts. I support the motion.

Debate (on motion by Mr Laurie Ferguson) adjourned.

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