Australia

Australia has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons meetings on autonomous weapons systems since 2016.

Australia does not support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the 2021 meeting of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) Australia stated that ‘we do not believe there is a need at this time for a new legal instrument.’^[1]Statement by Australia, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-03-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading At the 2023 CCW GGE on LAWS, Australia noted that ‘we see broad support for a two-tier approach to regulating autonomous weapon systems. For Australia, that means a recognition that some use of autonomous weapon systems would be inherently unlawful while others are subject to limits under international humanitarian law.'^[2]Statement by Australia, CCW GGE on LAWS, 6 March 2023,  … Continue reading

Australia has further stated that it considers that ‘autonomous technology has distinct benefits’,^[3]Statement by Australia, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 05 August 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-05-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading