MPH has joined the Cluster Munition Coalition Australia (CMCA) to support the Send-a-Sock campaign.
The campaign addresses the proposed Australian legislation on cluster bombs.While the Australian Government has signed the international ban on cluster bombs and are soon to ratify it, the draft legislation has loopholes. It would allow Australian troops to assist the US in using cluster bombs and allow stockpiling of US cluster bombs in Australia.
Cluster bombs have a big impact on poverty creation. As they have a large failure rate they can remain for years unexploded. This prevents farmers from returning to work their land and people from returning to their homes. When they do explode, cluster bombs are responsible for severe injuries including loss of limbs and blindness, and in many cases death. 98% of cluster bomb victims are civilians and one third are children.
Ask the Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister of Defence, to fix the Bill by supporting amendments to the draft legislation. Take action now and send a sock, to represent the victims of cluster bombs, and the flyer below asking Stephen Smith to address the loopholes in the legislation.
Send a sock flyer (135.5 KiB)
Photo credit: stopclustermunitions.org/Simon Conway
December 22nd, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Hello Minister Smith, Create more inroads towards more peaceful solutions.Fix the bill by supporting amendments to the draft legislation.Bombs left to kill and maim more innocents.Jason.
December 22nd, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Mr Smith
Pleas ensure that legislation to ratify a ban on cluster munitions does not permit Australian military personel to assist the use of these weapons by the military of the US or any other country, and does not allow the storage of such weapons in Australia by any hcountry, including the US.
December 22nd, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Mr Smith
Please ensure that legislation to ratify a ban on cluster munitions does not permit Australian military personel to assist the use of these weapons by the military of the US or any other country, and does not allow the storage of such weapons in Australia by any hcountry, including the US.
December 22nd, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Dear Mr Smith, our Minister for Defence
I urge you to make the Australian legislation against cluster bombs more appropriate by closing the loopholes allowing US cluster bombs on Australian soil and allowing Aussie soldiers to help US troops using these despicable weapons.
Sincerely, Joan Landy
December 22nd, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Please support amendments to the draft legislation on cluster bombs. It is a disgrace if australia is involved in assisting the US to use cluster bombs. Australia should not be available to stockpile the bombs either. Please take action before more innocent people are killed or injured.
December 23rd, 2011 at 2:02 pm
To the Australian Government Politicians and all Australian People
Cluster bombs are inhumane and destroy the innocent.
You, our government, represent US!
We do not support the production, or use of cluster bombs!
Please ban all connection and use of cluster bombs, by Australian personnel forever. It is a display of evil by America that they continue to use these horrendous bombs. We must not be their accomplices.
Please, everyone, fight on behalf of those who cannot.
Rosie Baker Woodend
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Dear Mr Smith
Please see that amendments to the Bill’s draft legislation are made, so that people living in poverty, or less favourable conditions that us Aussies, do not have to contend with cluster bombs ruining their lives and those of their families.
thanks for doing this
Silvana Franze
December 24th, 2011 at 7:40 am
Hon.Stephen Smith,
Please ensure that the current loopholes in cluster bomb leglisation are eliminated so that an effective solution to cluster bomb devastation can be achieved.
Thanking you in anticipation
Hugh O’Donnell
December 24th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Cluster bombs, uranium mining & exports, foreign troops, their drones & weaponry …as an Australian, who my whole life being told i live in the lucky country, a free, just & safe country, …not in my name !, these things make me ashamed of where we are heading, its a road to ruin for us all, go too far down this road & theres no return .
A LOT of people died for the freedoms we currently enjoy, we owe it to their sacrifice to never cash it all in so cheaply, for profit, or buddying up to a superpower that only got into WW2 to save its own neck & was going to let us all go down with the UK & Europe, the same superpower thats now attacking its own citizens .
No clusterbombs in my name .
January 25th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
The Honourable Stephen Smith,
Minister of Defence, Australia.
I have been heartened by what you achieved during your time as Defence Minister. Please be as honest and act with integrity on this issue, and please exhort your fellow Labour colleagues to do the same. Cluster bombs are an obscene and immoral weapon. Australia MUST have nothing to do with them in any way at all. Please ensure that all the loopholes in the draft cluster bomb legislation are eliminated completely and utterly. These weapons need to be made illegal – the object of war crimes prosecutions for those who use them.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Richard Williams.
January 28th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
As a responsible Australian government minister Mr Smith, I am confident that you feel distressed to know that there is this silent threat of cluster bombs in some war torn poor countries. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like living near farms with unexploded bombs lurking in the ground threatening peoples’ lives – not to mention the cluster bombs which may yet be dropped.
So I’m sure that you will do what’s needed to mend the loopholes that exist in the draft legislation relating to the cluster bombs.
Do that and we won’t have to mend broken bones and bury dead bodies resulting from the use of these monstrous devices.