A new national poll reveals that two-thirds of Australians want the government to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), as the world marks 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Commissioned by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Australia, the Essential Research survey shows two-thirds of Australians support signing and ratifying the treaty, with opposition very low at just 11%. Support is consistent across age, gender, and political affiliation.

The findings come as Australians join millions around the globe in commemorating the devastating human cost of the bombings of Hiroshima (6 August) and Nagasaki (9 August), which killed more than 210,000 people in 1945. Survivors have carried the warning for eight decades: nuclear weapons must never be used again.

Gem Romuld, ICAN Australia Director, said:

“Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Australians are crystal clear — our country must take action to ensure these weapons are never used again. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the global pathway forward. Australians expect our government to deliver on Labor’s longstanding promise to sign and ratify the treaty, and to do so in this term of Parliament.”

Labor first committed in its policy platform to sign and ratify the TPNW in 2018, reaffirmed in 2021 and 2023. The government has participated as an observer at treaty meetings since 2022, but has not yet announced signature of the treaty.

Romuld added: “This is not a symbolic gesture — it is a concrete step towards a safer future. Australians across the political spectrum want to see leadership that matches our values and reflects the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

Recent developments include a motion put to the federal House of Representatives and Senate commemorating the anniversaries, a motion put to the NSW Parliament recognising the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a “vital international instrument” to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, a strong motion adopted at the Victorian Labor conference urging signature of the treaty in this term of government, and the City of Perth became the 51st Australian council to back the treaty.