The Wire

The Australian Defence Force has won the right to purchase cluster munitions for the first time. The move comes as a parliamentary committee has rejected a Democrats bill seeking the total ban of these weapons. This is despite the concerns of experts and medical professionals that these weapons can leave a legacy of destruction for future generations as some weapons when dropped in times of war fail to explode, meaning civilians can stumble on them years later, and be killed or maimed. This report begins with comments from Democrats Leader Lyn Alison who drafted the legislation aiming to ban cluster bombs, She’s explaining when she first heard about the defence forces plans.