John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee report into the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill 2006, together with additional information and submissions, received on 31 May 2007.

Ordered that the report be printed.

Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I will not speak to the report at length, beyond noting that it did receive a degree of publicity. Prohibiting cluster munitions is an important issue which does merit further debate. I think it is important to ensure that there is an opportunity to have that report further debated in the Senate and, I might say, in the wider community. I was disappointed with the approach that the majority of the committee took, but, rather than debate that further at the moment, I would simply reinforce the Democrats’ commitment to continue to work towards prohibiting cluster munitions—cluster bombs—not just in Australia but worldwide. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.