Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Every five years nations now recommit themselves to tackling the scourge of landmines and other remnants of war. This year, Australia will present our largest ever commitment to mine action at the second review conference of the mine ban convention in Colombia. Australia was one of the original signatories of the mine ban convention when it opened for signature in December 1997 in Ottawa. Australia ratified the treaty in December 1998 and the treaty came into force in March 1999. The first review conference was held in Nairobi in 2004, five years after the treaty entered into force.

Australia is committed to a world free from landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. These weapons have contaminated more than 70 countries around the world and kill and maim at least 5,000 people a year. Australia has long supported action to eradicate landmines and other explosive remnants of war and to ease the suffering of adversely affected people and communities. Australia has a proud history of being at the forefront of international efforts on mine action. For more than a decade, our advocacy and leadership has demonstrated Australia’s international commitment.

In Oslo last December, I signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on behalf of Australia. The convention is a significant humanitarian achievement, prohibiting cluster munitions that scatter battlefields with hundreds of explosive devices. Many of them fail to detonate and pose a long-term threat to civilians for years after hostilities have ceased.

The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties recommended in August 2009 that Australia should ratify this convention. The government is proceeding with all the usual necessary consultative steps to complete ratification. It is certainly the government’s aspiration and intention to ratify as soon as possible.

Australia is the eleventh largest donor to mine action. We have contributed more than $175 million to mine action over the past 12 years. Australia has been a committed mine action donor in 16 badly affected countries across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, namely Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Cambodia, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam. This assistance has helped affected countries achieve their mine action goals. In 2005, Australia committed $75 million over five years to 2010 to clear landmines, rehabilitate and support survivors and educate communities about the risk of mines. At the time this commitment had welcome bipartisan support.

I can report to the House that Australia achieved this commitment in August 2009, well ahead of schedule. Australia’s assistance has changed the lives of people for the better. Through the provision of prostheses, wheelchairs, rehabilitation and other support, Australia has given a chance for a new life to thousands of landmine survivors. We have saved many more lives through mine risk education, vital clearance and subsequent release of productive land. We have cleared mines from nearly seven million square metres of land in Cambodia and over five million square metres in Laos. This land is now being cultivated to reap social, environmental and economic benefits. It is used for resettlement, schools, roads, canals, water supplies and agricultural production such as rice paddies, tree plantations and fish farms.

In Cambodia, Australia’s work with the Australian Red Cross has helped more than 10,000 landmine survivors with prosthetics, wheelchairs, physiotherapy, livelihood training and support, and adequate health care, clean water and latrines. In Lebanon, clearance of unexploded ordnance, particularly cluster munitions, and safety training has enabled safe access for humanitarian aid and promoted economic recovery. In Iraq, nearly nine million square metres of land has been cleared, and Australia’s work with the United Nations Development Program, the UNDP, has helped with the destruction of more than 60,000 explosive remnants of war, including abandoned artillery shells, mortars, grenades and ammunition. Clearing unexploded ordnance from schools has allowed nearly 2,500 pupils to return to their studies, while clearing unexploded ordnance from agricultural land allowed 1,500 farmers to open new vegetable and date farms. Australia can be proud that so many people’s lives have improved through these opportunities in education and employment.

Afghanistan is one of the most adversely mine-affected countries in the world and has one of the largest mine action programs. Australian support has helped establish a new community based de-mining project in Oruzgan province in the south of Afghanistan. Over 7,000 remnants of war have been removed to enable affected communities to again move freely and to cultivate their lands.

On Monday last week I visited Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been through a terrible conflict, a civil war lasting over 25 years where thousands of people were casualties and thousands of people were displaced. I announced when I was there a contribution by Australia of $6 million to assist in de-mining to ensure that the areas where people are resettled to are free from the terrible blight of landmines. This is vital work to enable communities to return to their homes, farmers to return to their fields, and children to return to school.

The international community will set further goals for landmine eradication at the second review conference of the mine ban convention in Colombia in two weeks time. The Summit on a Mine-Free World will review progress made under the antipersonnel mine ban convention over the past decade. The summit will also look ahead to the next five years. Australia looks forward to participating in the summit. It is an important milestone in the life of the mine ban convention.

At the summit, the Australian delegation will be led by the Parliamentary Secretary for Overseas Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, and a member of the delegation will be the former member for Cowan, Graham Edwards, who has shown such bravery and courage in the course of his life, building a career following upon a terrible mine accident. At the summit Australia will renew its commitment to global efforts to reduce the impacts of landmines and other explosive remnants of war, which continue to threaten the lives of so many people.

Since meeting the $75 million commitment to mine action, the Australian government has been developing a strategy to build on our successful past efforts and guide future assistance. We have consulted widely with key partners, including governments and Australian and international non-government organisations. Australia will present our new Mine Action Strategy for the Australian aid program to the summit in two weeks time. The new strategy will support the achievement of Australia’s obligations under the mine ban convention, the convention on certain conventional weapons, in particular protocol V on explosive remnants of war, and future obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Under the strategy, Australia will pledge $100 million over the next five years on working towards a world free from landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. This is the largest five-year commitment made by Australia to mine action. It reinforces Australia’s ongoing commitment to mine action and sees Australia at the forefront of international efforts on mine action. Australia’s assistance will support countries still affected by these weapons, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos and Sri Lanka.

The strategy has one overriding goal—to reduce the threat and social and economic impact of landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. To achieve this goal, Australia’s strategy will work towards the following four outcomes: Australia will seek to reduce deaths and injuries; Australia will improve the quality of life for victims and their affected families and communities; Australia will support and encourage affected countries to increase their ownership of national mine action efforts; and Australia will continue to advocate for universal adherence to key international instruments, such as the mine ban convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

For many developing countries, these explosive devices continue to hold back development. They bring devastating social and economic impacts to some of the poorest countries in the world, both during and after armed conflict. They adversely affect security and stability. They threaten the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

I look forward to the outcomes of the Summit on a Mine-Free World. The summit’s outcomes will help guide implementation of Australia’s new strategy. Australia looks forward to working with our bilateral, regional and international partners to achieve a mine-free world. Our commitment will support Australia’s objectives to reduce poverty, promote sustainable development and contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We will build on the success of Australia’s leadership in mine action, reflecting Australia’s commitment to be a good international citizen.

I ask leave of the House to move a motion to enable the member for Curtin to speak for 10 minutes.

Leave granted.

I move:

That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Curtin speaking in reply to the ministerial statement for a period not exceeding 10 minutes.

Question agreed to.

See this speech in context