Key developments since May 2002: In FY
2002/3, Australia estimates spending A$14.5 million (US$8.7 million) on mine
action activities, an increase from the previous year. In September 2002,
Australia was named co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance
and Socio-Economic Reintegration.
Mine Ban Policy
Australia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997, ratified on 14 January 1999, and the treaty entered into force for the
country on 1 July 1999. National implementation legislation, the Anti-Personnel
Mines Convention Act 1998, was enacted on 10 December 1998. Responsibility for
treaty implementation and compliance is shared among the Departments of Foreign
Affairs, Defence, and AusAID (Australia’s International Development
Agency).[1]
Australia stopped assembling antipersonnel mines in the early 1980s. It
never exported mines. Australia destroyed its stockpile of 128,161
antipersonnel mines in five days in
1999.[2] The Australian Army
continues to use and train with command-detonated Claymore mines, and, according
to the Department of Defence, has restrictions in place on their use in other
than command-detonated mode.[3]
Australia participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September
2002. At the meeting, Australia was named co-rapporteur of the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, together with
Croatia. Australia and Croatia ended their term as co-chairs of the Standing
Committee on Stockpile Destruction in September as well.
Australia continues as an active member of the “Universalization
Contact Group.” Australia co-sponsored, together with Canada and Japan, a
regional conference in Bangkok, Thailand in May 2002, “to better
understand the barriers to accession or ratification for the six non-States
Parties in ASEAN.”[4] In
2002, it continued to issue joint demarches, together with Japan, urging holdout
states in the region to join the Mine Ban Treaty without
delay.[5] Australia also worked
with Canada, New Zealand, and Thailand to build support for the treaty in south
and South East Asia and in the
Pacific.[6] Australia is part of
the Bangkok Regional Action Group (BRAG), formed in September 2002 with the aim
of promoting landmine ban initiatives in the region in the lead up to the Fifth
Meeting of States Parties. The government and the Australian Network of ICBL
continued to collaborate on a program to promote universalization of the Mine
Ban Treaty in South East Asia. The Australian Network sponsored a meeting of
ban campaigners from the region the day before the Bangkok meeting in May
2002.[7]
Australia submitted its fifth Article 7 transparency report on 30 April 2003,
covering calendar year 2002. “Form J” includes information on
antipersonnel landmines retained for training and details Australia’s
contribution to mine action.
Australia voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/74 in November
2002, stressing the need for universalization and effective implementation of
the Mine Ban Treaty.
Australia participated in the Fourth Annual Conference of States Parties to
Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) in December
2002, and gave a statement that included support for an additional protocol to
address antivehicle mines.[8]
Australia also stated its support for a new, legally binding protocol on
post-conflict remedial measures to address the humanitarian problems caused by
explosive remnants of war
(ERW).[9]
Australia’s Special Representative on Mine Action, the Hon. Christine
Gallus MP, participated in the launch of Landmine Monitor Report 2002 at
an event in Adelaide, South Australia on 13 September 2002. Gallus described
the 2002 report as “a very professional document and a testament to those
involved in the
production.”[10] For the
fourth year in a row, the Australian government supported the ICBL’s
Landmine Monitor initiative, with a contribution for the 2003 report of
A$220,000 (US$133,000).
In 2002, the Australian Network of ICBL continued to promote awareness of
landmine issues through representations, exhibitions and speaking engagements.
On the anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s entry into force for
Australia, the Australian Network hosted an event with keynote speaker, Graham
Edwards MP, a Vietnam veteran and landmine
survivor.[11] In September and
October 2002, photojournalist John Rodsted went on a speaking tour following his
return from Afghanistan. As part of AUSTCARE’s Refugee Week in October
2002, events in Canberra and Adelaide raised awareness of mine action
activities. In December 2002, the director of the Cambodia Trauma Care
Foundation, Yang Van Heng, toured Australia with Liz Hobbs, Victim Assistance
Advisor to the Australian Network. Liz Hobbs, with co-authors Sue McDonough and
Ann O’Callaghan, launched their book, Life after injury; a
rehabilitation manual for the injured and their helpers, in Adelaide on 1
December.[12] The Night of 1,000
Dinners initiative resulted in a number of events around Australia raising both
awareness and funds in the days around 5
December.[13]
On 27 March 2002, Mines, Victims and Clearance (MIVAC), a voluntary
organization, was launched in Tasmania. MIVAC’s public awareness and
fundraising events in 2002 included a visit in November by Geraldine Cox of the
Sunrise Children’s Village in
Cambodia.[14] Funds raised will
go toward the establishment of a carpentry workshop in Cambodia, which will
teach carpentry to landmine
survivors.[15]
Joint Operations
The Landmine Monitor Report 1999 reported in detail on
Australia’s National Declaration that was deposited with its instrument of
ratification, and on Part 2, clause 7(3) of the Anti-personnel Mine Convention
Bill.[16] Questions were raised
regarding the consistency of the Declaration and clause with the Mine Ban
Treaty’s Article 1 prohibition on assisting anyone in any way to engage in
any activity prohibited by the treaty.
The participation of Australian soldiers in the Iraq conflict heightened
interest in this issue. Australia’s position was elaborated in a document
provided by the Australian Embassy to the United States in April 2003:
“Australia will not participate in planning or implementation of
activities related to anti-personnel mine use in joint operations.... Australia
would reject any orders to use anti-personnel mines and has placed limitations
on its forces so as not to violate treaty commitments during these joint
operations.... In relation to operations in Iraq: The Chief of the Defence
Force has full command of the ADF at all times, including all Australian Forces
deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations. The commander of the Australian
Middle East Area of Operations (Brig. Maurie MacNarn) exercises national command
over ADF forces deployed as part of Operation Falconer in the Middle East. At
the unit level, ADF forces remain at all times under the command of their
Australian commanding officers.... Those members serving with United States
forces have received a brief on their obligations under the Ottawa Convention
and the Anti-Personnel Mines Convention
Act.”[17]
To better understand Australia’s doctrine and practice regarding
“assistance,” Landmine Monitor requested a copy of the Australian
Defence Force training booklet entitled “Conventions on the Use of
Landmines: A Commanders Guide.” Upon being told that, as an operational
manual, the booklet is classified, the Landmine Monitor researcher initiated a
request in January 2003 under the Freedom of Information Act to gain access.
The researcher was informed the document could be reviewed, but the information
could not be publicly
released.[18]
Mines Retained Under Article 3
In its most recent Article 7 report, Australia listed 7,513 antipersonnel
mines retained for training purposes (3,821 M14 blast mines and 3,692 M16
bounding fragmentation mines), a depletion of 213 mines since the previous year.
The report notes that there are no detonator assemblies for the M14 mines, and
only 100 usable detonator assemblies for the M16 mines. The stocks are kept in
small numbers in ammunition depots throughout the country to support regional
training; the Army’s School of Military Engineering conducts the training.
The report states, “Stock levels will be regularly reviewed and assessed.
Only a realistic training quantity is held, and this will be depleted over time.
Stocks in excess of this figure will be destroyed on an ongoing
basis.”[19]
Mine Action Funding
The Australian government, through its
international development agency AusAID, is approaching the completion in
December 2005 of its decade-long commitment to provide A$100 million for mine
action activities. From January 1996 to Financial Year 2002/2003, AusAID has
committed and expended over A$88 million (approximately US$52
million).[20] In December 2002
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Alexander Downer MP, told the Australian
Network, “Any decision on future mine action funding will be taken closer
to the end of the current mine action programme which concludes in
2005.”[21]
In FY 2002/3, Australia spent an estimated A$14,537,488 million ($8.7
million) toward mine action activities in Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Iraq,
Laos, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as to efforts to
promote implementation and universalization of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[23] This represents an
increase of A$2 million from the previous year.
Since September 2001, Australia has contributed A$4 million to mine clearance
activities in Afghanistan.[24]
On 23 May 2003, during a visit to Baghdad, Australia’s Minister for
Foreign Affairs, Hon. Alexander Downer, announced a contribution of A$1.5
million for assistance in mapping and assessment of mined areas in Iraq, in
response to an urgent appeal issued by the UN Mine Action Service
(UNMAS).[25] The donation also
includes early placement of an Australian demining expert within the mine action
coordination team established by UNMAS for Iraq. Australian naval deminers
undertook limited mine clearance and emergency explosive ordnance disposal on
land during the 2003 Iraq
conflict.[26]
On 19 June 2003, Foreign Minister Downer announced that Australia would
contribute an additional A$2 million for mine clearance in Cambodia by the
Cambodian Mine Action
Center.[27]
Summary of Government Expenditure and Commitments for FY 2002/2003
(A$)[28] (1 July 2002 to 30 June
2003)
Country
Activity
Recipient
A$
Total
Afghanistan
2,500,000
Mine Clearance
MAPA
1,500,000
Coordinate and oversee mine clearance
UNMAS
1,000,000
Burma
Mine Awareness
MAG
30,000
Cambodia
5,465,656
Core Funding
Camb. Mine Action Center
2,000,000
Survivor Assistance
Australian Red Cross
890,416
Integrated Mine Action
CARE Australia
892,932
Mine Clearance
AUSTCARE
503,592
Core Grant
World Vision Australia
341,349
Integrated Mine Action
World Vision Australia
224,978
Mine Clearance
World Vision Australia
450,535
Integrated Mine Action
AUSTCARE
149,254
Core Grant (seminar)
CMAA
12,600
Iraq
1,522,600
Mine survey and risk assessment
UNMAS
1,500,000
Mine Awareness
CARE
22,600
Laos
840,060
Mine/UXO Awareness
UNICEF
340,060
Mine/UXO Clearance
UNDP
500,000
Mozambique
1,405,358
Accelerated Demining Program
UNDP
1,000,000
Mine Clearance
AUSTCARE
405,358
Sri Lanka
Mine Awareness
500,000
Thailand
Mine Awareness
ADPC
4,200
Vietnam
Integrated Mine Action
AVI
1,195,019
Global
1,086,195
Advocacy
Australian Network of ICBL
3,595
Advocacy
Landmine Monitor, ICBL
220,000
Core Grant
Sponsorship Program
50,000
Core Grant
Implementation Support Unit
50,000
Core Grant
UN Mine Action Service
750,000
TOTAL
14,537,488
14,537,488
AUSTCARE is supporting the following programs in 2002/2003: in Angola,
A$12,260 for Handicap International Belgium’s prosthetics production work;
in Bosnia, A$17,180 to train three national staff and prepare new dogs and
handlers; in Cambodia, A$451,871 for mine clearance by HALO Trust in Oddar
Meanchey province; in Mozambique, A$523,069 for mine clearance by HALO.[29]
World Vision Australia will allocate A$130,000 annually for three years,
beginning in October 2002, to assist persons with disabilities in Cambodia
through revolving loan schemes. Funds are provided by AusAID and public appeals.
World Vision Australia also supports mine clearance and mine awareness in
Cambodia.[30] In December 2002,
the government’s collaboration with World Vision Australia on the project
“Destroy A Minefield – Rebuild Lives” concluded after reaching
its target of raising A$800,000 for mine action in Cambodia over two
years.[31] The program raised a
total of A$1.2 million
($780,428).[32] According to
AusAID, the funds were spent on clearance of eighteen sites in Cambodia.
Demining is expected to continue until the end of 2003. AusAID estimates that
approximately ten million Australians were reached by the campaign, which
appointed Australia’s Olympic Taekwondo gold medallist, Lauren Burns, as
its ambassador.[33]
UNICEF Australia received A$500,000 in 2002 for UXO risk education in Laos.
Donors included AusAID, UNICEF Australia and UNICEF
Laos.[34]
CARE Australia continued its partnership with the Cambodian Mine Action
Center (CMAC) on its integrated demining and development program, funded by
AusAID. The project is due to end in March 2003. The 2002 budget was
A$811,757.[35]
Australian Volunteers International continued its UXO clearance and community
development project in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. It is funded by
AusAID, and due to finish in June
2005.[36] In early May 2003, the
Australian government announced it would provide A$3.6 million for mine and UXO
clearance in Thua Thien Hue province by
AVI.[37]
Two commercial Australian companies were active in mine action in 2002. In
April 2002, Milsearch secured an Asia Development Bank mine and UXO clearance
contract for $775,000 to allow the construction of power lines from Vientiane to
Phonsauan in Laos.[38] In
Lebanon, Chirgwin Services conducted an AusAID-funded quality assurance course
for six Lebanese and three Syrian army officers, and provided five metal
detectors and six global positioning systems to the National Demining Office.
Chirgwin Services is also acting as a mine clearance consultant to the Snowy
Mountains Engineering Corporation’s project to upgrade the A9 highway
linking north and south Sri
Lanka.[39]
Research and Development
Minelab Electronics Pty. Ltd., a South
Australian-based robotics company, is developing the F3 metal detector, and is
also working on the “Rapid Route and Area Mine Neutralisation
System” (see below).[40]
Another Minelab project, in conjunction with US contractor CyTerra for the US
Department of Defense, combines a ground penetration radar system with Minelab's
metal detection technology into a hand-held mine
detector.[41] Australian
Detection Dog Services changed its company name to “Global
Detection,” and is engaged in demining in
Cambodia.[42]
The government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation, is carrying out research into gamma ray landmine detection. This
project is part of an International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research
Program initiative that brings together around twenty scientists from developing
and developed countries to promote research and technology transfer into mine
detection technologies.[43]
The government’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO)
carried out a demonstration of its radar and sensor technology, the Rapid Route
and Area Mine Neutralisation System (RRAMNS) in November 2002. RRAMNS consists
of an Australian metal detector designed by Minelab, a US ground-probing radar
named “Tenix,” and an infrared imaging system developed by the DSTO.
These technologies are integrated together on a vehicle. In November 2002, the
Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill, claimed that the RRAMNS is capable of
safely clearing a three-meter lane at speeds of up to five kilometers an hour.
RRAMNS will be initially deployed with the Australian Defence Force, and could
later be applied to humanitarian
demining.[44]
The University of West Australia’s robotics department is looking at
ways to improve existing mine detection and clearance
technologies.[45] Researchers at
the University of Melbourne in Victoria are working on gamma ray
detection.[46]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, one Australian soldier was injured and
another killed in landmine incidents in Afghanistan. On 18 January, an SAS
soldier lost two toes after stepping on a landmine. On 16 February, a soldier
was killed when his vehicle hit a
landmine.[47] No Australian
landmine casualties were recorded in the first half of 2003.
[1] Email from Josephine Hutton, Acting
Manager Afghanistan, Middle East, and Humanitarian Unit, AusAID, 31 March
2003. [2] For more details see Landmine
Monitor Report 2000, p. 375. [3] Letter
from Stephanie Foster, Assistant Secretary, Major Powers and Global Interests
Branch, Department of Defence, 23 January
2003. [4] Australian National Statement to
the Fourth Meeting of States Parties by Ambassador Michael Smith, Permanent
Representative to the UN in Geneva, Geneva, 17 September
2002. [5] Countries approached during 2002
included Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Email from Maria Poulos, Executive Officer,
Chemical, Biological and Conventional Weapons Section, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, 19 December 2002. [6]
Interview with Todd Mercer, Executive Officer, Conventional and Nuclear
Disarmament Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra, 25
November 2002. [7] Emails from David
Johnson, Australian Network, ICBL, 20 February 2003 and Gerald Hinton,
Australian Network, ICBL, 29 March 2003.
[8] Australian National Statement by
Geoffrey Shaw, Deputy Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament,
to the Fourth Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II of the CCW, 11
December 2002. [9] Australian National
Statement by Ambassador for Disarmament Michael Smith, to the Meeting of States
Parties to the CCW, 12 December 2002. [10]
Letter to Ms. Mary Wareham, Global Research Coordinator, ICBL/Landmine Monitor,
from Hon. Christine Gallus MP, 26 March
2003. [11] Australian Network ICBL ACT
Branch press release, “Local landmine event begins with a bang,” 28
June 2002. [12] Liz Hobbs, Sue McDonough,
and Ann O’Callaghan, Life after injury; a rehabilitation manual for the
injured and their helpers (Malaysia: Third World Network,
2002). [13] Events were held in Canberra,
Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and
Victoria. [14] Fax from Rob Woolley, MIVAC
Trust, 23 February 2003. [15]
Ibid. [16] Landmine Monitor Report 1999,
pp. 348-350. [17] “Land Mine Use by
Non-States Parties in Joint Operations.” This undated policy statement
was provided to the coordinator of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines, Gina
Coplon-Newfield, by Peter Baxter, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Susan Deets,
Chief Council, Embassy of Australia to the US, in Washington DC, on 8 April
2003. [18] Australian Defence Force,
“Conventions on the Use of Landmines: A Commanders Guide,” Training
Information Bulletin No. 86, prepared and promulgated in October 1999. This
document is cited in Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2003. The initial
denial on classified grounds came in: Letter to Mr. Mark Zirnasak from Senator
Robert Hill, Minister of Defence 24 October 2002. The FOIA response came in a
telephone call from Major Steve Prigg, Department of Defence, 27 May
2003. [19] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30
April 2003. [20] Email from Josephine
Hutton, AusAID, 25 June 2003. Australia’s financial year runs from 1
July–30 June. US dollar equivalent provided by Landmine
Monitor. [21] Letter from Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer MP, 6 January 2003 in response to a letter from the Australian
Network National Coordinator dated 5 December
2002. [22] Email from Josephine Hutton,
AusAID, 25 June 2003. [23] Article 7
Report, Form J, 30 April 2003. Currency conversion rate of one Australian
Dollar = 0.60 US Dollars (as of February 2003), from US Federal Reserve
Statistical Release, “Foreign Exchange Rates,” 3 March
2003. [24] Email from Josephine Hutton,
AusAID, 25 June 2003. [25] Hon. Alexander
Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, press release, “Australian Support
for Humanitarian and Recovery Needs in Iraq,” 23 May
2003. [26] British forces called for
Australian assistance to dismantle and destroy a cache of arms and explosives
found in a school in Umm Qasr. See Department of Defence press release,
“Transcript: Media Briefing Australia’s contribution to Global
Operations,” 31 March 2003. [27]
Hon. Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, press release,
“Australia funds further action on landmines in Cambodia,” 19 June
2003. [28] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2003; email from Josephine Hutton, AusAID, 25 June
2003. [29] Telephone interview with
Corinne Stroppolo, Acting International Program Manager, AUSTCARE, 15 February
2003; Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire provided by Corinne Stroppolo,
AUSTCARE, 15 February 2003. [30] Response
to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire provided by Lisa Edward, Program Officer,
World Vision Australia 14 March 2003. [31]
Hon. Chris Gallus MP, press release, “Extra support to clear
Cambodia’s deadly landmines,” 4 December
2002. [32] The federal government matched
every two dollars raised with another dollar. Hon. Chris Gallus MP, press
release, “Extra support to clear Cambodia’s deadly landmines,”
4 December 2002. [33] Email from Josephine
Hutton, AusAID, 31 March 2003. [34]
Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire provided by Lara Scott, Projects
Officer, UNICEF, 27 February 2003. [35]
Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire provided by Leda Tyrrel, Program
Officer, CARE Australia, 8 January
2003. [36] Email from Colin White,
Manager, Asia Projects, Australian Volunteers International, 12 December
2002. [37] “Australia Provides $3.6
Mln for Landmine Defusing in Vietnam,” Vietnam News Brief Service, 7 May
2003. [38] Response (via Jodi Halmarick,
PA) by David Halmarick, Managing Director, Milsearch, Canberra, 19 December
2002. The project lasted 13 months, cleared 99 hectares (easements, pylon
sites, access roads) for 250 kilometers of power transmission line, and found
3,000 UXO and 5,000 small arms ammunition. Email from David Halmarick, 18 June
2003. [39] Telephone interviews with Carl
Chirgwin, Director, Chirgwin Services, 1 and 23 February
2003. [40] Interview (by Loren Persi,
Australian Network) with Leon Mitchell, Minelab, Adelaide, 1 November
2002. [41] Cy Terra Corporation [2002]
HSTAMIDS: Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System EMD Program
http://cyterracorp.com [accessed 8
November 2002]. [42] Telephone interview
with Mike Storey, Operational Manager, Global Detection, 13 January
2003. [43] CSIRO press release,
“‘Gamma Camera’ to Help Find Land Mines,” 19 December
2001. [44] Senator Robert Hill, press
release, “Australia leads the way in landmine research,” 28 November
2002; speech transcript, Sen. Robert Hill, 28 November
2002. [45] University of West Australia
website, www.uwa.edu.au [46] Melbourne
University, “Nucleus of knowledge brings physicist honours,” Science
Highlights,
http://www.science.unimelb.edu.au/research/highlights/Shoda.html [47]
“Aussie soldier's toes blown off. Inside Camp Cuba,” Herald Sun, 19
January 2002, p. 3; Christine Jackman, “Digger Dies. Afghan mine kills new
dad,” Herald Sun, 18 February 2002.