SENATOR JOHN FAULKNER
Minister for Defence
Friday, 28 May 2010
055/2010
PROHIBITION OF AN EXPORT UNDER THE WEAPONS
OF MASS DESTRUCTION ACT
The Minister for Defence has made a determination under section 14 of the
Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (WMD
Act) to prohibit an export of certain industrial items to an entity in Iran on the
basis that the items might be diverted for use in a WMD program.
This determination was in accordance with advice from the Department of
Defence, and supported by the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and
Prime Minister and Cabinet. The determination is based on intelligence
information which cannot be disclosed.
It is not appropriate to name the Australian company involved, but there is no
information suggesting any impropriety on the part of the company. The
company had been advised by the Department of Defence in early 2009 that
the goods were not controlled by the WMD Act, but that assessment was
subsequently revised, in light of further information. Recognising this, the
Government is conscious of the economic impact of the decision and will be
consulting with the company about means of mitigating the impact of the
decision.
Australia shares with the international community profound concern about
Iran’s nuclear program. The Australian Government remains deeply
concerned by Iran’s failure to comply with its international obligations and has
repeatedly called on Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and to abide by IAEA and United Nations Security
Council resolutions.
Australians considering commercial or other dealings with Iran are
encouraged to contact the Defence Export Control Office at
making commercial decisions.
Media contacts:
Colin Campbell (John Faulkner):
02 6277 7600 or 0407 787 181
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
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