CAMPAIGN NEWS:
Australia drops opposition to TPNW in United Nations vote
Australia drops opposition to TPNW in United Nations vote
29 October 2022
Today, in a vote at the United Nations, Australia dropped its opposition to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), bringing an end to five years of hostility to this crucial agreement.
For the first time, Australia abstained from voting on an annual resolution concerning the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In previous years, it had voted no. It is the first time a state that claims protection from an ally’s nuclear weapons has taken this step.
The resolution, which welcomes the TPNW’s entry into force and calls on all countries to join it “at the earliest possible date”, was supported by a large majority of UN member states this morning, including almost all states in our region.
While a decision to support and become a state party to the treaty is still pending, we welcome this development.
“This is an important step forward, and sends a signal to the international community that Australia is open to engaging with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons after many years of inaction. We welcome this change in position, especially at a time of heightened tensions among nuclear-armed states.
“ICAN looks forward to a formal decision by the Albanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The overwhelming majority of Australians support joining the treaty, and progress towards disarmament is more urgent than ever.”
This is the first time Australia has changed its position on the resolution, which has been adopted by the UN General Assembly each year since 2018, following the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.
Australia has also taken steps to acknowledge nuclear harms at home and in our region during the UN General Assembly, and ICAN Australia welcomes the Australian government’s acknowledgement that the consequences of British nuclear testing on Australian soil in the 1950s and 1960s were borne disproportionately by First Nations peoples.
Today, in The Guardian, The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said through a spokesperson that Australia had “a long and proud commitment to the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime” and that the government supported the new treaty’s “ambition of a world without nuclear weapons”.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has the support of three-quarters of government members, and there are currently 103 members of the Federal Parliament who have committed to Australia’s signature and ratification of the treaty.
We urge the Prime Minister to fulfill Labor’s pre-election pledge to sign and ratify this crucial agreement and begin the work alongside the global community to achieve nuclear justice for all survivors of nuclear weapons use and testing.