Dear Minister Marles,
I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch regarding the lack of transparency in Australia’s defence exports and supply chain.
Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization that reports on and advocates for human rights in some 100 countries around the world. We have had an office in Sydney since 2013.
In August 2026, the Arms Trade Treaty Monitor released its annual report. The report identifies which countries provided “meaningfully transparent” annual reports. Australia is not on this list, while partners such as Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy are.
Australia’s opacity is especially concerning given reporting that Australia's military exports have equipped UAE-made vehicles otherwise used by the abusive Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. Human rights groups have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in relation to Australia’s export permits to Israel and component exports that form part of the F-35 global supply chain, as well as the potential use of Australian defence exports in the civil war in Yemen.
Transparency is a vital safeguard to protect Australian military exports from being used to commit serious violations of international law. Australia has a legal and ethical obligation to ensure its military trade does not facilitate human rights abuses. The current system does not provide a clear picture of Australia’s exports, which means that civil society researchers cannot assess whether Australia is meeting its obligations.
We are keen to understand the challenges that export officials face in providing information regarding Australia’s defence export and supply chain.
Last year Human Rights Watch joined other civil society groups in calling for a parliamentary review into military control systems. We urge the government to support this.
We urge the Australian government to consider international best practice in strengthening its safeguard systems. This includes public reporting of actual exports, with a clear indication of the destination and source of every reported transfer broken down by specific weapon type and the value of these exports, as well as substantive end-use monitoring.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Daniela Gavshon
Australia Director
Human Rights Watch
