State: Australia
Law or Regulations: Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995


Sect. 9 Prohibition on supplying goods for WMD program


9.(1) If:
(a) a person supplies any goods to another person; and
(b) the first-mentioned person believes or suspects, on reasonable grounds, that the goods will or may be used in a WMD program; and
(c) the supply of the goods is not authorised by a permit or is in contravention of a condition stated in a permit; and
(d) the Minister has not given a written notice to the first-mentioned person under section 12 stating that the Minister has no reason to believe or suspect that the goods will or may be used in a WMD program;
the first-mentioned person is guilty of an offence punishable on conviction by imprisonment for not more than 8 years.

Note: Subsection 4B(2) of the Crimes Act 1914 allows a court to impose an appropriate fine instead of, or in addition to, a term of imprisonment. If a body corporate is convicted of the offence, subsection 4B(3) of that Act allows a court to impose a fine of an amount that is not greater than 5 times the maximum fine that could be imposed by the court on an individual convicted of the same offence.

(2) It is not an offence against subsection (1) for a person to supply goods to another person if the goods are supplied in compliance with conditions stated in a notice given to the first-mentioned person by the Minister under subsection 14(2).

References: International Treaties and Documents

UN Biological Weapons Convention 1972IHL - Treaties & Comments
UN Convention on Chemical Weapons 1993IHL - Treaties & Comments