Robertson H V Ross: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson H V Ross: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 July 2009. Volume:656;Page:5185. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou. No reira e te Whare e nga iwi e nga reo e nga hau wha tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. It is both a privilege and a pleasure to be able to stand in this House this evening to discuss and promote the issue of disarmament as that is what we are doing. First of all I want to acknowledge those who played a part in the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill: people such as the Hon Phil Goff of course when he was the Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control. I want to acknowledge his contribution and dedication in pursuing this issue for New Zealand. Also I acknowledge Don MacKay who was our ambassador for disarmament in Geneva and the leadership he provided in putting our case on this issue. Also there is Mary Wareham and I acknowledge the work she did with the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition. Then there are the many luminaries far too many to name here who have been involved in this whole issue. 
Cluster munitions cause unacceptable harm to humanity and often those who are harmed are innocent civilians: people who are going about their everyday business whether it is walking across a field or going to see a friend. Those are the people who often end up being mutilated. There are too many deaths disfigurements and lives destroyed because of the indiscriminate use of cluster munitions. As a senior member of the international council of Parliamentarians for Global Action which is an international non-governmental organisation based in New York that works with the United Nations and as a former chair of the council of that organisation I take a great interest in this issue. We held a number of forums in places as diverse as Georgia in the former Soviet Union and the Philippines and cluster munitions were high on the agenda. Having come back from there we had a forum here last year and I remember Alyn Ware being there. That was to do with the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition and there I met up with a colleague from Sierra Leone member of Parliament the Hon Ibrahim Sorie. He related to me stories of cluster bombs the damage they have done and the economies they have wrecked in Africa. 
It is unacceptable that the major producers and buyers of cluster bombs the United States Israel Russia and China continue to wage war by using these maiming cluster bombs. Of course they are not the only ones. Another 76 countries are major holders of cluster bombs and it is time that there was a change. The United Nations has estimated that 40 percent of the victims are children and that in anyone’s language is abhorrent and unacceptable because the innocents suffer. There is an old saying that when the elephants rumble the little people get hurt but far too many little people are being hurt by these types of munitions. It is also estimated that between 10 and 40 percent of the bomblets released by cluster bombs just above the ground fail to detonate. That is a major concern because it poses a threat to civilians in the area potentially killing or maiming civilians for years following their use. These munitions are totally unacceptable in the 21st century and it is time that people recognised that peace is the only way to go. 
During the last Parliament I was fortunate to be involved with the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. We conducted an international treaty examination of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and appended to the report was the national interest analysis prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The executive summary of that statement stated: “The Convention on Cluster Munitions … which bans the use of cluster munitions by States Parties is a significant development in international disarmament and humanitarian measures. The Convention was concluded in Dublin on 30 May 2008 and opened for signature at a ceremony held in Oslo on 3 December 2008. New Zealand was one of the 94 states to sign the Convention in Oslo.” As a nation we can hold our head high. 
I remember reading about that great Liberal legislator William Pember Reeves. He said that New Zealand was an edifice for radical experiments for the rest of the world. I guess this bill is not a radical experiment but we are leading when it comes to the elimination of cluster munitions. We continue to lead with countries like Norway Austria Peru and Mexico as well as the Holy See and Ireland. We determined that it was necessary to take the process outside the United Nations inhumane weapons convention because no progress was being made. Again we stood up for what we believed in. 
The national interest analysis goes on to say “The new Convention’s central purpose is to prohibit the use of all cluster munitions which are canister-like munitions that encase a large number of smaller explosive devices.” It adds “The Convention also prohibits the development production acquisition stockpiling retention and transfer … of cluster munitions;” and clarifies that the convention includes a provision on interoperability. It goes on to say: “There are strong reasons for New Zealand to proceed to ratify the Convention. Most important among these is that a well supported Convention will have the greatest potential to help prevent the unacceptable humanitarian harm caused by the use of cluster munitions. This National Interest Analysis concludes that the benefits to New Zealand from ratifying the Convention outweigh any associated costs. There are no significant risks or disadvantages identified that would argue against New Zealand becoming party to the Convention.” I commend the Government for continuing to take forward this legislation. 
When the Hon Phil Goff was in Oslo to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions which bans the manufacture possession and use of such weapons he had this to say: “Cluster munitions have left a deadly legacy maiming and killing thousands of civilians a great many of them children often long after the war in which they were deployed was over … The tragic consequences of a million unexploded bomblets in Lebanon as a result of the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict spurred us to tackling the issue of munitions which have unacceptable consequences for civilians … It is essential to bring the use of cluster munitions to an end.” That is important. 
I support our ratification of this important convention to reduce the incidence of this weapon of destruction for it is the biggest advance since the Ottawa Convention on landmines. It is a step towards disarmament democracy freedom peace and the rule of law. As a member of the international council of Parliamentarians for Global Action I welcome this bill for it is something we have long campaigned on. It is always important that I carry with me the views of New Zealand in attending such meetings for we are recognised for the contribution that we make as a small nation State to disarmament the rule of law better Government and democracy. Kia ora. Tihei mauri ora!