David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I think we will take both of those on notice. Let me provide an interim preliminary answer that will be subject, I am sure, to further deliberations. As I comprehend it off the cuff, those militaries that are not a party to the convention and that might have cause to be in Australia or Australia's territorial waters would be confined to the United States of America and France. Obviously, I would not expect to see other major holders or manufacturers and deployers of these sorts of munitions who are not party to the agreement, such as China, Russia, Iran and Brazil, transiting through Australia. So, Senator, I ask if you would be so good as to take that as a preliminary view and we will confirm that.

With respect to your second question, please afford this the same status as obviously there will be professionals inside the Department of Defence who will be able to provide a more forensic answer. As I understand it, cluster munitions in terms of US practice would typically be deployed by either aircraft—and aircraft of course are found across the United States Air Force, the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, as I comprehend it—or artillery. Artillery are found across at least the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army. Please take that as a preliminary view and I will see if we can provide a more refined answer.