Australian companies have repeatedly breached export control regulations designed to prevent sensitive defence technology falling into the hands of North Korea, Iran, China and Russia.
Previously undisclosed information issued by the Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, reveals that in the past three years there have been 41 known breaches of Australia's defence export regulations.
The Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations control the export of sensitive equipment and goods on Australia's Defence and Strategic Goods List.
There were 22 violations 2006-07, 17 in 2007-08 and two in 2005-2006.
The Department of Defence seeks to limit the export of sensitive military technologies to Australia's close allies, such as Britain and the United States, and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction to countries, such as Iran and North Korea.
Mr Fitzgibbon did not reveal the names of the firms involved or the specific equipment or materials involved in each case.
But he did confirm the rules were broken in relation to both military equipment and so-called ''dual use'' technology that has both civilian and military applications.
The breaches involved military equipment, chemicals, telecommunications and electronic equipment, information security technology, avionics, material processing technology and other controlled goods.
Seventeen breaches involved the export of chemicals which are regulated because they could be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons, explosives or missile propellants.
Fourteen other export control breaches related to military equipment.
Mr Fitzgibbon has released the information in answer to a written parliamentary question by Federal Labor backbencher Daryl Melham.
He did not issue details of export breaches prior to mid-2006 because the records were archived paper files and his department considered it too much trouble to compile statistics.
The Customs Act provides penalties for persons and companies who attempt to export controlled goods without a permit or licence with penalties including fines of up to $275,000 and 10 years imprisonment.
In recent years there have been only two prosecutions for defence export control violations, both in 2006 for offences alleged to have been committed in 2003, with one firm being fined a modest $13,000 and forfeiting the goods in question.
Both prosecutions related to the export of military equipment.
In 2006-07 the Defence Department's Export Control Office rejected only nine of 613 applications for export of dual use goods and technology and rejected only four of 2049 applications for export of military equipment. Fifty-five dual use and 75 military equipment applications were withdrawn or cancelled in the same period.
In recent years the Defence Export Control Office has doubled in size to more than 24 staff and a budget, exclusive of salaries, of some $900,000.
Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Australian National University, Dr Michael McKinley, said yesterday that sensitive military and dual-use technologies were tightly controlled ''for good reason''.
''Even if the overall number of export approvals is large, it would be a matter of real concern if anything slipped through that shouldn't,'' Dr McKinley said. Australia's defence exports are estimated by Austrade to have exceeded $600 million in 2006-07.