Global Security Newswire

The Australian government so far in 2011 has denied 15 requests for visas due to WMD fears -- a number significantly lower than in recent years, The Australian newspaper reported on Monday (see GSN, April 5, 2010).

Australia's Defense and Foreign ministers are leading a multiagency effort to employ obscure government authorities to block domestically produced products and services with possible WMD applications from being acquired by hostile nations or extremist organizations.

The 15 visa rejections were linked to concerns the foreigners "may be directly or indirectly associated with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," the Foreign Ministry said.

There were 33 WMD-related denials in 2010 and 51 for both 2009 and 2008. The Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Department, however, could not provide a reason for the declining numbers.

Information obtained under a freedom of information request revealed that in 2009 the department amended its procedures for handling visa applications that touched on WMD concerns.

A department spokeswoman would not address any possible correlation between the revised policy and the declining number of visa rejections that are based on WMD issues. "The procedures were reviewed in 2009 in a routine update of guidelines for the conduct of WMD proliferation assessments," she said.

"Australia's counterproliferation visa screening procedures continue to be consistently applied to meet Australia's international commitments and obligations and to implement global nonproliferation norms," the spokeswoman added.

The Defense Ministry has refused to allow one export deal to take place this year due to WMD worries. The shipment involved industrial components intended for Pakistan. Four different export requests have been retracted after the applicants learned they would be prohibited.

In 2010, three shipments bound for the Middle East, Iran and Pakistan were blocked and seven other export requests were retracted (Sean Parnell, The Australian, Oct. 17).