Protest outside Parliament House, Canberra, Tuesday 28th
March at 8am
On Monday 27th March, the United Nations will begin the
first of two sessions to negotiate a legally binding instrument for the
prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. This conference was
launched by a resolution at October’s UN General Assembly, with support from
123 nations. Australia announced
it will boycott the negotiations despite being obliged by Article VI of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue negotiations on effective
measures relating to nuclear disarmament in good faith.
The Government believes that nuclear weapons should
remain an Australian defence option, via the policy of US weapons based
‘extended nuclear deterrence’. This contrasts to strong support for a ban
amongst almost all neighbouring countries in South-East Asia and the
Pacific.
Protestors will gather outside Parliament at 8am on Tuesday March 28 to
support a ban treaty. Speakers will include Senator Lisa Singh, Senator
Scott Ludlam and Bishop Pat Power.
The ban treaty negotiations have arisen from a series of conferences
examining the devastating and long-term impacts of any nuclear weapon
detonation. A critical mass of nations is now pursuing a new legal
instrument to outlaw nuclear weapons, creating a global stigma on their
production, stockpiling, possession, use and threat of use.
The US Government has pressured its allies not to participate in the
negotiations over concerns of the impact a ban will have on the ability
to plan for nuclear war. The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, will
deliver a statement outside the General Assembly Hall as ban negotiations
kick off on Monday.
A new poll* shows that 74% of Australians want the Government to support
the UN ban negotiations, while only 10% agree with the boycott.
The major parties are divided on the issue, with the ALP platform firmly
supporting “the negotiation of a global treaty banning [nuclear]
weapons”. Anthony Albanese MP and Senator Lisa Singh have introduced
motions in both chambers urging the Government to participate in the ban
negotiations.
Indigenous nuclear test survivor Sue Coleman-Haseldine is in New York to
speak at the negotiating conference on the impact of nuclear weapons
testing. “The new treaty should make sure that countries have to look
after the needs of impacted people. To look after us is also to look
after our land,” she said.
“In a time of global insecurity, our world urgently needs this new action
plan for pursuing nuclear disarmament – and Australia should embrace it,”
said ICAN’s Outreach Coordinator, Gem Romuld. “The ban negotiations
are modelled on comparable bans on chemical and biological weapons and
landmines. This is a timely and historic opportunity to make nuclear
weapons illegal along with the other weapons of mass destruction”.
“Boycotting the ban talks flies in the face of Australia’s international
obligations and casts doubt on our commitment to the UN. Australia must
choose the right side of history and join the ban negotiations without
delay”.
Further comment:
Prof Richard Tanter
Chair, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Australia |rtanter@nautilus.org / 0407 824
336
Tim Wright (in New York)
Asia-Pacific Director, ICAN
tim@icanw.org / +1 (631) 229-7209
Gem Romuld
Outreach Coordinator, ICAN Australia
gem@icanw.org / 0421 955 066
*Ipsos, March
2017
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