Speech to Launch Campaign to Increase Funding for Victims of Landmines

Parliament House, Sydney

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Parliament House.

It gives me great pleasure to launch this campaign today. This theme for this meeting today is "a promise worth keeping".

The promises we are talking about are those made by many countries under the Mine Ban Treaty, and even some countries that have not signed the treaty.

These promises include banning the trade in mines, destroying stockpiles, transparency in reporting, and more money to remediate land and help victims of landmines.

Few governments around the world made these commitments freely and willingly. As a rule, they have been forced into it by pressure from below - from the world's people.

Most of you here would know that here in Australia, the petition to ban landmines was one of the three largest petitions ever received by the Australian Parliament.

Ordinary people around the world share a common human decency that their governments lack.

When we see images of landmine victims on television, or read reports in the newspapers, we are unfailingly shocked.

Landmines are indiscriminate killers, and the victims are almost always innocent and mostly children.

The production and use of landmines is nothing short of a criminal act by governments and armies against ordinary people, often in poor countries, who are simply trying to earn a living and get by.

But despite the shocking images, the deaths and injuries, and the popular worldwide opposition to landmines, our governments are unmoved.

While some governments are making commendable headway in reducing stockpiles and helping victims, many countries have not even signed the Mine Ban Treaty.

47 countries, with a combined stockpile of 200 million antipersonnel mines, remain outside the treaty.

Most notable among these are the United States, China and Russia, but the list also includes most of the Middle East and many Asian states.

Fewer governments are actually using landmines on a regular basis, with Russia and Myanmar the major offenders.

But it's not enough just to stop using them or trading in them - the real commitment that many countries are yet to make is to destroy the stocks and help the victims.

82 countries are still affected by landmines and/or unexploded ordnance. In 16 of these countries, no mine clearance is going on; and in 25 of these countries, there are no education programs about the risk of mines.

We have had three new wars in four years, and all of these - Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq - have inovolved landmines and cluster bombs.

In the past 12 months, 65 countries have reported new landmine casualties. Of these, 41 were at peace.

The worst affected countries were Chechnya, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Iraq, Angola, Chad, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Burundi, Myanmar and Pakistan.

You can't help noticing that some of these countries are among the poorest in the world.

In many of the mine-affected countries, the assistance available to address the needs of survivors is inadequate, and much more assistance is needed to provide care and rehabilitation for survivors.

Poor countries can't afford to offer all the rehabilitation and assistance that's required, and rich countries like Australia have a moral duty to lend a hand.

The Greens have a track record of opposing landmines. In Federal Parliament, NSW Greens Senator Kerry Nettle has moved motions condemning the use of anti-vehicle mines and unexploded ordnance, but did not win the support of either major party.

I declare the start of the campaign for more government funding for the eradication of landmines in our region.

I hereby launch the online petition to increase government funding for the eradication of landmines in our region.

I now invite questions from the audience and the media. We have present on the stage the greatest experts on landmines and unexploded ordnance in Australia. Please direct technical questions to them, or political and general questions to me. Thank you.

It gives me great pleasure to launch this campaign today. This theme for this meeting today is "a promise worth keeping".

The promises we are talking about are those made by many countries under the Mine Ban Treaty, and even some countries that have not signed the treaty.

These promises include banning the trade in mines, destroying stockpiles, transparency in reporting, and more money to remediate land and help victims of landmines.

Few governments around the world made these commitments freely and willingly. As a rule, they have been forced into it by pressure from below - from the world's people.

Most of you here would know that here in Australia, the petition to ban landmines was one of the three largest petitions ever received by the Australian Parliament.

Ordinary people around the world share a common human decency that their governments lack.

When we see images of landmine victims on television, or read reports in the newspapers, we are unfailingly shocked.

Landmines are indiscriminate killers, and the victims are almost always innocent and mostly children.

The production and use of landmines is nothing short of a criminal act by governments and armies against ordinary people, often in poor countries, who are simply trying to earn a living and get by.

But despite the shocking images, the deaths and injuries, and the popular worldwide opposition to landmines, our governments are unmoved.

While some governments are making commendable headway in reducing stockpiles and helping victims, many countries have not even signed the Mine Ban Treaty.

47 countries, with a combined stockpile of 200 million antipersonnel mines, remain outside the treaty.

Most notable among these are the United States, China and Russia, but the list also includes most of the Middle East and many Asian states.

Fewer governments are actually using landmines on a regular basis, with Russia and Myanmar the major offenders.

But it's not enough just to stop using them or trading in them - the real commitment that many countries are yet to make is to destroy the stocks and help the victims.

82 countries are still affected by landmines and/or unexploded ordnance. In 16 of these countries, no mine clearance is going on; and in 25 of these countries, there are no education programs about the risk of mines.

We have had three new wars in four years, and all of these - Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq - have inovolved landmines and cluster bombs.

In the past 12 months, 65 countries have reported new landmine casualties. Of these, 41 were at peace.

The worst affected countries were Chechnya, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Iraq, Angola, Chad, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Burundi, Myanmar and Pakistan.

You can't help noticing that some of these countries are among the poorest in the world.

In many of the mine-affected countries, the assistance available to address the needs of survivors is inadequate, and much more assistance is needed to provide care and rehabilitation for survivors.

Poor countries can't afford to offer all the rehabilitation and assistance that's required, and rich countries like Australia have a moral duty to lend a hand.

The Greens have a track record of opposing landmines. In Federal Parliament, NSW Greens Senator Kerry Nettle has moved motions condemning the use of anti-vehicle mines and unexploded ordnance, but did not win the support of either major party.

I declare the start of the campaign for more government funding for the eradication of landmines in our region.

I hereby launch the online petition to increase government funding for the eradication of landmines in our region.

I now invite questions from the audience and the media. We have present on the stage the greatest experts on landmines and unexploded ordnance in Australia. Please direct technical questions to them, or political and general questions to me. Thank you.