Senate debates Motions

Nuclear Weapons

Monday, 27 March 2017 Senate
Lisa Singh

Lisa Singh Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General

3:58 pm

I, and also on behalf of Senator Ludlam, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) there are close to 15,000 nuclear weapons in the world today, posing a grave threat to all humanity,

  (ii) nuclear weapons remain the only weapons of mass destruction not yet expressly prohibited under international law,

  (iii) the United Nations (UN) will convene a conference from 27 to 31 March 2017 and 15 June to 7 July 2017 to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination,

  (iv) the UN General Assembly has encouraged all UN member states to participate in the conference, and

  (v) Australia, as a state party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, is legally required to pursue negotiations in good faith for nuclear disarmament; and

(b) urges the Australian Government to participate constructively in the conference.

Hansard source

Alcy Infinity: Congratulations to the senators who are very wisely properly representing the Australian people on this issue by supporting the UN International Treaty for the global ban of all nuclear weapons. A survey about 3 years ago (shown on wikipedia) shows that 85% of Australians were for the ban and 3% against the ban at the time. Now I feel 99.9% of Australians are for the ban according to my own survey where I live. How arrogant, outrageous, criminal, barbaric and cruel is opposing to the global ban of nuclear weapons today? All politicians who are opposed to the global ban of nuclear weapons are misrepresenting the Australian people and the greater Humanity today, and future generations. What kind of future do we want for us, our children, the children of our children, and all future... Continue reading

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James McGrath

James McGrath Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister

3:59 pm

I seek leave to make a short statement.

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Gavin Marshall

Gavin Marshall Deputy-President

Leave is granted for one minute.

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James McGrath

James McGrath Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister

Australia shares with the international community the goal of a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons. Australia will not participate in the forthcoming UN conference on the negotiated treaty to ban nuclear weapons. This approach is consistent with Australia's clear and longstanding position on the proposed nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution No. 71, calling for negotiations on a nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia was among 83 countries that did not vote in favour of that resolution and among 38 countries to vote against it. The proposed ban treaty would not advance nuclear disarmament. It will be ineffective in eliminating or even reducing nuclear weapons arsenals. It would not enhance security. It would have no effective verification measures to ensure compliance, and it risks undermining the nuclear nonproliferation treaty by creating ambiguity and confusion through parallel obligations and by deepening divisions between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states.

Question agreed to.

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