John Forrest (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Fremantle on this motion and I am pleased to join her in supporting it. As the members who have already spoken about its nature have said, there is no doubt that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is a very valuable and important plank in the whole suite of measures to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It has been in existence for over 60 years, and I can remember as a child not being able to sleep at night because of the media talking about the threat to the public of other countries’ nuclear weapons. In those days, it was different countries from the rogues of the modern era. I am very pleased that Australia plays an important and significant role in the treaty, and we are well regarded for the contribution we have made internationally in that respect.

The member for Wills mentioned the parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Treaties and the recent reference from the government to conduct an inquiry into nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. While it is not my purpose to breach the normal rules of privilege that cover committee inquiries, I would like to say it was a very fulfilling task. With other members of the committee—the member for Wills, the member for Cowan and the member for Shortland—I was privileged to visit Geneva, Vienna, Washington and New York, which are the central locations for discussions on this matter.

The member for Wills is quite right about the timeliness of the motion by the member for Fremantle here today. There is a new optimism, and we all remain hopeful that President Obama can bring his congress along with him to back what he has made clear is his aim—to overcome the stagnating progress on the whole issue of nuclear nonproliferation and particularly disarmament, because it holds back those who want to challenge the ‘haves’ because they allegedly are ‘have-nots’.

The years of lack of progress have been very frustrating, but this new sense of optimism has actually renewed my own sense of enthusiasm. I had become somewhat cynical about the world’s capacity, even the capacity of the United Nations, to assist in the acceleration of progress on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, particularly progress on this particular treaty. It is a very sad reflection on the capacity for progress that the big ‘haves’ have not been willing to ratify the CTBT. So I am encouraged by this new optimism.

The motion moved by the member for Fremantle mentioned the international monitoring system, and it was very encouraging to see the part that Australia has played in the implementation of that monitoring system and to see where all the data is collected on the receiving end in Vienna, where it is housed. Not only has Australia provided sites for monitoring; professional Australian staff are also providing their expertise and experience to implement the rollout of the monitoring system as well as authenticate it so that no-one will doubt the observations that it records. It was very impressive to see that display. That system involves the collection of data on not only earth tremors but also gas emissions, which makes it unquestionable that a test has occurred when one does occur. When North Korea recently conducted a test, the world knew straightaway that somebody had set off a nuclear charge. We need to engage with and fund the ongoing activity to verify this monitoring system so that the data is unquestionable. Then we might all be able to sleep at night.

In conclusion, I commend the member for Fremantle for moving this motion. I express my renewed hope that we can establish a corporate world determination to bring nations like North Korea to account and I express my own renewed confidence in the capacity of the UN and its resources to progress the matter. While my view was once that the UN was an expensive and convoluted talkfest, it has been modified by the recent visit I was privileged to be part of. I commend the motion to the House.

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