EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1984 NO. 191
CUSTOMS (PROHIBITED EXPORTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Issued by the authority of the Minister of State for Industry and Commerce.
The amending regulation inserts a new item 33 in Schedule 13 to the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations to prohibit, unless the permission of the Minister of State for Defence Support is obtained, the export from Australia of goods comprising or containing certain chemicals capable of being used to manufacture chemical weapons.
The amendment is in accordance with the Government’s strong committment to the early conclusion of a Chemical Weapons Convention being considered at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to ban the stockpiling, production and use of chemical weapons. The Government considers that Australia should, in line with the United States and several European Governments, introduce export controls over certain chemicals that could be used to manufacture chemical weapons in the war between Iran and Iraq.
Item 33 lists the eight chemicals to be prohibited from export unless the permission of the Minister for Defence Support is obtained. These eight chemicals have been identified by the United Kingdom and several European Governments as chemicals which could be used in the manufacture of chemicals weapons in the Iran/Iraq war.