Joint Statement: Civil Society Calls for Accountability in Australia’s Military Trade

Australia’s military trade is not transparent. Policy experts describe defense export systems as “at best opaque and at worst negligently poor.”

Neither the public nor parliament have detailed knowledge of what military goods Australia is exporting, to where or for what purpose. There is no justification for the current level of secrecy. 

Australia’s military trade is growing rapidly. Government data indicates actual exports may have doubled in three years.

Australia has a legal and ethical obligation to ensure its military trade does not facilitate human rights abuses. Australia has approved military exports to many countries with documented patterns of human rights abuses, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, Sudan and South Sudan[1]. Transparency is required to ensure Australia’s exports are not used in human rights abuses. 

Transparency is also required to mitigate corruption. Australia has weak anti-corruption safeguards, which alongside unscrutinized procurement policies and active lobbying by military companies has led to Australia’s defense sector being assessed as having a moderate corruption risk.

Australia championed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and was one of the first to ratify it. The Treaty seeks to regulate international trade in conventional arms, but in its first ten years has not made observable progress towards its objective of reducing human suffering. While Australia submits annual reports as required by the Treaty, its transparency falls short of what is provided by other like-minded countries. Civil society groups have raised concerns about Australia’s compliance with the ATT, citing evidence that Australian exports could have been used in human rights abuses by Israel and in Yemen.

We call on the Australian Government to support a parliamentary review to assess the potential that arms exports could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law and consider available mitigating measures.

Signatories 

1. Act for Peace
2. ACT Muslims Australia
3. ActionAid Australia
4. Amnesty International - Australia
5. Anglican Social Responsibilities Commission (Diocese of Perth)
6. Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
7. Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
8. Australian Jewish Democratic Society
9. Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN)
10. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
11. Australian Centre for International Justice
12. Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)
13. Australian Peace and Security Forum
14. Australians for War Powers Reform
15. Christians for Peace Newcastle
16. Critical and Ethical Mental Health research group, University of Adelaide
17. Eurobodalla Justice for Palestine
18. Friends of Sabeel Australia
19. Friends of the Earth Australia
20. Grata Fund
21. Hindus for Human Rights ANZ
22. Human Rights Law Centre
23. Human Rights Watch
24. Independent and Peaceful Australia Network
25. International Women’s Development Agency
26. Jesuit Social Services
27. Jewish Council of Australia
28. Jews for Palestine WA
29. Justice & Peace Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
30. Medical Association for Prevention of War
31. Muslim Women Australia (MWA)
32. National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA)
33. Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine
34. Pax Christi Australia
35. Quakers Australia
36. Melbourne Anglican Diocese Social Responsibilities Committee
37. Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN)
38. Palestinian Christians in Australia
39. Palestinian Community of Western Australia
40. Plan International Australia
41. Queensland Congregational Fellowship
42. Queensland Muslims Inc.
43. Religions for Peace Australia
44. Shepparton Interfaith Network
45. Sisters of St Joseph
46. Social Responsibilities Committee, Anglican Church Southern Queensland
47. St VIncent's Ashfield Social Justice Group
48. Sydney Anti-AUKUS Coalition
49. Sydney Peace and Justice Coalition
50. The Grail
51. The Humanism Project
52. The Recollective
53. The Salvation Army
54. Transparency International Australia
55. Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA
56. United Muslims of Northern Territory Inc.
57. Uniting Church in Australia
58. Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
59. Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia
60. Wellspring Community of Australia
61. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom