Australia toughens ban on training 'certain foreign militaries' after pilot case

Australia will toughen laws to stop former defence staff from training foreign militaries, introducing a penalty of 20 years in prison.

Australia will toughen laws stopping former defence staff from training "certain foreign militaries", introducing a penalty of 20 years in prison and widening the ban to stop any Australians offering military training to countries seen as a national security risk.

A series of cases where former military pilots living in Australia had worked for a South African flight school training Chinese pilots, which the United States alleges are Chinese military pilots, has prompted the crackdown.

Australia's "Five Eyes" intelligence partners of Britain, the United States, New Zealand and Canada will be exempt from the new law, officials said.

Exemptions will also be provided if the Defence Minister authorises the training, or it relates to humanitarian relief or United Nations duties.

Penalties of up to 20 years prison will apply for providing military training or tactics to a foreign military or government body, including hybrid civilian and military organisations, or state-owned companies, without authorisation from the defence minister.

Defence Minister Richard Marles introduced the amendment to Australia's parliament on September 14, saying the bill was partly modelled on U.S. laws, and will strengthen criminal laws in Australia that already ban the provision of military training to a foreign government by former Australian defence staff.

The new law goes further, stopping any Australian citizen or permanent resident from providing such training without the Minister's authorisation.