Australia was the sixth country to ratify the CWC, in May 1994. The Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act 1994 was enacted on 25 February 1994, and entered fully into force with the Convention on 29 April 1997.
Since 1995 ASNO has surveyed over 3000 companies and organisations in Australia, to identify activities to be declared to the OPCW. Around 150 companies or organisations were identified as having had relevant facilities, and information provided by them has been used to compile Australia's initial and subsequent declarations to the OPCW. Table 6 provides a summary of the current status of Australia's declarable sites:
| Sched. 1 | Sched. 2 | Sched. 3 | OCPF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Declarable Facilities | 1 * | 6 | 1 | 30 |
| Features | Research | Processing | Production | Production |
| OPCW Inspections | 10 | 5 | 8 | 37 |
| * Protective purpose facility as declared under paragraph 10 of Part VI of the CWC's Verification Annex. This facility is subject to frequent inspections. | ||||
All inspections went smoothly and demonstrated Australia's full compliance with the CWC. There were no disruptions to the facility activities, or problems associated with disclosure of commercially sensitive information.