Cluster Bombs: Hang your head in shame Australia
Posted by Dave Bath on 2007-06-02
The senate rejected the proposed Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill 2006 from Lyn Allison (Dem) despite the many good arguments in submissions opposing the bill.
Apart from the Australian military, the most interesting (because it was little more than an advertisement) submission was from Israeli Military Industries Ltd which I discussed in an earlier post.
How disappointing! How this makes Australia (its government, and by inference, its voters) look inhumane and belligerent! How this makes my head hang in shame for my country, although at least I spoke up to the committee (and was recognized in the final committee report Sections 5.2, 5.4 and 5.5.)
See also: news items: Defence given green light to use cluster bombs (The Age 2007-05-31), Defence Force seeks deadly cluster bombs (The Age 2007-05-19), Victims of Deadly Cluster Bombs Mostly Civilians (The Age 2006-11-03) selected submissions to the senate from United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Australian Red Cross and myself, and the general Balneus Parliamentary Submissions page.
Balneus Democrats will attempt to create Peace Commission « said
[...] 2007). In many ways this is more far-reaching and significant than their attempt to get the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill 2006 through – a bill unfortunately rejected, despite the many submissions in its [...]
Rudd loves cluster bombs? « Balneus said
[...] This is something I was interested in some time back, and you’ll see my efforts via a submission reflected in Sections 5.2, 5.4 and 5.5 of the Cluster Bill 2006 Senate Report, and my thoughts about the final report and various submissions here. [...]