Mark Dearey (Green Party)

I hope the passage of this Bill will encourage other countries to introduce legislation on depleted uranium weapons. A raft of other legislation will probably be required in the future because depleted uranium weapons leave behind a legacy that affect civilians, rather than military personnel. Their legacy is not covered by the Ottawa and Oslo treaties which set out specific requirements for dealing with anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs. The only legislative hold on the matter is through international human rights legislation. A lot of work remains to be done at international level and further treaties need to be agreed to deal with the explosive remnants of war. We need to address the lacuna in international treaties. If this legislation prompts our colleagues around Europe, in particular, to introduce similar measures and extend the reach of existing treaties to deal with depleted uranium weapons left behind after combat, we will have done a good evening's work of lasting consequence. I thank Senators Hannigan and Norris for their contributions. I am always extremely enervated by debate on nuclear matters and I look forward to a further debate on nuclear energy at some stage.