Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was entered into force on 5 March 1970. The text of the treaty begins by acknowledging both the 'devastation that would be visited upon all mankind by a nuclear war and the consequent need to make every effort to avert the danger of such a war and to take measures to safeguard the security of peoples'. Equally, it begins with the statement that 'the proliferation of nuclear weapons would seriously enhance the danger of nuclear war' and a declaration that the nuclear arms race must cease through 'effective measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament'.

Article 7 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons recognises the 'right of group of states to conclude regional treaties in order to assure the total absence of nuclear weapons in their respective territories'. The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, the treaty of Rarotonga, is one such regional treaty, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its conclusion on 6 August 2025. It too begins by acknowledging that the treaty parties are 'united in their commitment to a world at peace' and outlines an 'obligation to make every effort to achieve the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons' because of 'the terror which they hold for humankind and the threat which they pose to life on Earth'.

Eighty years on from the first and only use of nuclear weapons in war, both treaties remain as important and relevant as ever. We under the devastation that would be wrought by nuclear war and must make every effort to avoid these weapons being used or tested again. We are supported in this endeavour by article 6 of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty, which prescribes:

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

Over 200,000 people lost their lives when, on 6 and 9 August 1945, two atomic bombs were detonated on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—that is 200,000 people in addition to the millions of people who died because of the Second World War. Each had a name, a dream, a purpose. Those dreams were wiped out in an instant. Those purposes would never be realised. But the names live on and must serve as a constant reminder that the path to nuclear weapons is not the right path, not the path that the world should ever entertain.

In addition to the 200,000 lives lost in August 1945, countless additional people suffered physical and psychological trauma. They too had their dreams and their purposes wiped out, or severely limited, in a similar vein to those who suffered because of nuclear weapons testing that took place after August 1945, including in our Pacific neighbourhood and, indeed, in our own country. The enduring effects of nuclear weapons testing continue to be profoundly felt in Australia, in our region and across the world. Nuclear weapons testing must be relegated to history.

The Australian government remains unwavering in its support of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as the basis upon which the global nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament regime rests. Its existence has been decisive in promoting global security in the last half-century, and it stands as an instrument that is rightly directed to preventing the growth of nuclear weapons. The Australian government's commitment to a world without nuclear weapons remains as strong as ever. As long as nuclear weapons exist, Australia will continue to partner with the international community to work towards their elimination by curtailing their spread and reducing the risk both of their use and of nuclear conflict at all. Practical and constructive pathways are part of this imperative, including by reinforcing the role of the Rarotonga treaty in our region.

The 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a time to reflect on both the lives that were lost and the lives that were adversely and severely impacted. It is also a time to reflect on the position our country wants to take in the region and on the global stage for future generations. Those future generations deserve the strongest levels of dedication and commitment to nuclear nonproliferation to ensure a pathway to nuclear disarmament and a world without nuclear weapons.

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