Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) calls on Australian parliamentarians to endorse the Global Parliamentarian Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty;

(2) recognises:

(a) that the poor regulation of arms:

(i) results in tens-of-thousands of lives needlessly lost every year;

(ii) undermines peace and peace building processes, human security, poverty reduction initiatives, and prospects for sustainable socioeconomic development; and

(iii) facilitates gender-based violence against women who disproportionately endure the indirect, longer-term consequences of armed conflict; and

(b) the immediate need for a legally binding international agreement on the regulation of the global trade in arms;

(3) congratulates successive Australian governments for their demonstrated commitment to an internationally binding arms trade treaty; and

(4) calls on the Australian Government to continue strong advocacy for an international arms trade treaty at the upcoming United Nations negotiations on the matter in July 2012.

It is difficult to overstate the devastating effect of illicit weapons on individuals and communities around the world. In fact, it is estimated that 1,500 people are killed each day from conflict and armed violence. Incredibly, around 12 billion bullets are produced every year—that is about two for every person on the planet.

Part of the problem is that the multibillion dollar global trade in arms is largely unregulated. As Amnesty International and Oxfam Australia have noted in a letter to all MPs and senators, the trade in arms is more poorly regulated than the trade in bananas or coffee. Weapons are often traded irresponsibly between countries, with no consideration of whether they will be used to commit human rights abuses or diverted to those who will.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, for example, weapons continue to pour into the country despite clear evidence of human rights abuses, fuelling ongoing conflict and human suffering—weapons are diverted to war lords, women are raped at gunpoint and children are recruited as soldiers. In the DRC the asking price for an AK-47 is reported to be just US$50.

Most human rights violations are not committed with tanks or other heavy artillery; they involve small arms and light weapons. In small communities, such as in the Pacific, it is easy to imagine that just one armed gunman could hold a whole village hostage.

During July, UN member states will meet to negotiate a new treaty to regulate international transfers of conventional weapons. The purpose of the treaty is not to limit or reduce legitimate arms transfers but, rather, to prevent irresponsible transfers by requiring states to undertake risk assessments of each transfer to determine if they will be used to commit violations of international humanitarian or human rights law or seriously impair poverty reduction or socio-economic development. This is the fundamental purpose of the treaty, and specific criteria achieving this must be included in the treaty text.

A robust treaty should include all types of conventional arms, including small arms and light weapons, and ammunition. Ammunition is likely to be a sticking point, particularly for the US, which argues that it is too onerous to track. However, ammunition must be included in the scope of the treaty. Some weapons, such as the AK-47, are virtually indestructible. So their use continues for decades, by one group after the next as they are traded around, because ammunition for them is readily available. The treaty should also cover all types of trade activity, including transhipments, brokering and gifting. Critically, the treaty should be legally binding and require national implementation with clear reporting provisions.

Successive Australian governments have strongly supported the establishment of a robust treaty. Australia has co-authored every United Nations resolution on an arms trade treaty since 2006 and has played an active role as Friend of the Chair. Australia has advocated widely for the arms trade treaty in the Pacific, the Caribbean and Africa. I encourage the Australian government delegation, led by Foreign Minister Carr, to continue to champion a robust, comprehensive and legally binding instrument. There is no doubt that negotiating this treaty in four weeks is an ambitious task. However, considering the staggering impact irresponsible arms transfers have on humanity, there is certainly an urgent need for a positive outcome. And, where there's a will, there's a way.

The deepening crisis in Syria is indeed a poignant reminder of the critical need for an arms trade treaty. Amnesty International's latest report on Syria, Deadly reprisals, provides further evidence that deliberate and unlawful killings are part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population, are carried out in an organised manner and as part of state policy, and therefore amount to crimes against humanity. And yet some nations, such as Russia, continue to ship weapons to Syria, despite the high risk they will be used to commit atrocities.

The international community now has a historic opportunity to negotiate a treaty that will prevent weapons getting into the wrong hands and could save hundreds of thousands of lives. I would like to pay tribute to Amnesty International and Oxfam Australia for their campaign to raise awareness and support within the community and among parliamentarians. I note the briefings conducted by Amnesty International last week in the parliament on this subject. I also note and welcome the efforts of the Parliamentarians for Global Action, or PGA, to promote the new treaty as one of its major campaigns, including asking parliamentarians to sign the Global Parliamentarian Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty. So far, more than 1,500 parliamentarians from all over the world, including more than 50 Australian federal MPs and senators, have signed the declaration.

I thank colleagues for their support of this important arms trade treaty that will play a role in promoting regional and global security and save tens of thousands of lives needlessly lost each year.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I second the motion. I am appreciative of the opportunity to speak on this important motion and I thank the member for Fremantle for bringing it to the attention of this parliament today. Each day the scourge of war directly affects millions across the globe. Countless more continue to suffer the indirect effects, decades after conflicts subside, through human rights abuses, poverty and human trafficking. Weapons are more easily finding their way into the hands of non-state actors, fuelling decades-long conflicts and creating new ones. The toll on civilians continues to rise with each passing year, and women and children are disproportionally affected as existing inequities are magnified and they are exposed to sexual violence and exploitation.

Whilst the causes of each conflict are complex, there is a simple truth: wars require weapons. Limiting the flow of arms into conflict regions would help stem violence. But, unfortunately, arms easily find their way though because the trade has very little regulation. In fact, regulations applying to bananas are greater than those applying to the global arms trade.

To remedy this situation, from 2 to 27 July, the United Nations will host discussions for a global arms trade treaty. The treaty is the culmination of six years of investigation and has involved extensive consultations with countries and non-governmental organisations. I am also pleased to say that the treaty has had strong bipartisan support though successive Australian governments.

The arms trade treaty is intended to outlaw the transfer of arms if there is a substantial risk they could be used in breaching international humanitarian law, be diverted from the legitimately intended recipient, affect regional security or be used by terrorist networks. A revolutionary and welcome aspect of this agreement is its broad scope; covering all weapons, transfer types and transactions. That means any weapon, from helicopter gunships to handguns, will be covered. Transfer types will include import, export, temporary transfer, state sanctioned, commercial transactions, technology transfer, plus so-called gifts and aid; and transactions will also cover brokers and dealers, whether state-sponsored or not.

While there is strong support for the treaty in general, Amnesty International is urging parliamentarians across the world to show their support and ensure that the substance of the treaty is not watered down during the upcoming negotiation process, as so often happens. Last week the Parliamentary Friends of Amnesty was privileged to host Widney Brown, Amnesty International Global Director of International Law and Policy, who outlined the status of the negotiations and the issues still to be resolved. Of particular concern are calls to remove ammunition and technology transfer from the treaty. Some countries have objected to ammunition on the basis that it is too hard to track. But it was pointed out that Australia already has a system tracking its ammunition, and there is no reason why other countries could not adopt a similar process.

The restriction on technology transfer ensures that a more recent and disturbing trend is stamped out. It has come to the attention of Amnesty that in order to bypass arms embargoes, weapons factories are being built in conflict regions. Such factories intensify conflict though easy access to arms, destabilise regions and place even more women and children in danger. The process should be stopped and must certainly remain an area regulated by this treaty.

In conclusion, I would urge all members of this place to sign the Global Parliamentarian Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty. Once again, I would like to thank Widney Brown and Amnesty for their continued advocacy on this important treaty, and thank the member for Fremantle for moving this motion in this place today.

Debate adjourned.