Antinuclear

At last, great news. Yet, the newspapers scarcely mentioned it. TV stations said nothing. What happened?

Was this because our Government’s representatives at the UN voted against the resolution? Why the silence? Some Australians knew the resolution was being debated and were awaiting the result yet there was no mention of our Government’s decision or speeches, like those from Tasmanian Labor Senator Lisa Singh, in favour of the bid.

The reasons given by “no” voters, including Australia, were: “We are concerned that to start a process towards a nuclear weapon prohibition treaty now, without the support of nuclear weapon states and a large number of other countries with specific security interests, would be premature. Further, we believe such a measure will be ineffective in eliminating nuclear weapons; have potentially adverse consequences for regional and global security; not advance implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and impact negatively on the NPT review process, making a consensus outcome in 2020 more difficult.”

Our Government needs to provide more satisfying answers to many questions.

Why would this overdue discussion be premature? Have nuclear weapons deterred war? Why should nations with nuclear weapons not be required to support a ban? What specific security interests would prevent a ban? What adverse consequences would occur to global or regional security if there were no nuclear weapons?

When 123 nations voted for the resolution and only 38 voted against, with 16 abstentions, then the reasons for voting “no” needed to be compelling. Especially in Australia’s case, where most of us have requested an end to the nuclear armaments industry for years.

Many of us have asked why the world’s leaders did not stop the nuclear arms race and force a ban on these weapons well before nations with little concern for life and the sustainability of the world, somehow obtained the technology.

We have asked who allowed proliferation to happen? What would happen if the World Court had sufficient power to remove leaders who attempt to engage in war or oppression? To say nuclear weapons make the world safer has been proven to be a lie. Since 1945 non-nuclear weapons have been manufactured continuously and people in dozens of countries have continued to wage war. What a waste of the materials and the finance that has gone into making and maintaining nuclear weapons. It will only take one leader with extreme views to press a nuclear button, to cause a nuclear disaster that wipes out life on Earth. It will be no use another leader pressing a second button in retaliation, that will only make things worse.

Lessons from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and nuclear test sites like Maralinga cannot be forgotten. Nor can the more recent long-term devastation caused by nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

We need to get rid of these weapons, especially as global warming will make food producing land and seas even more valuable.

Who else, besides those in my networks, wants a ban and wonders why the Australian media was virtually silent on this momentous news?

Linley Grant is state president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. She has received many awards, including an Order of Australia Medal for community service.