In 2021 Councillor Linda Scott attended a special Councillors Roundtable hosted by ICAN Australia to celebrate the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in March 2021.

Screenshots of councillors attending an online Councillor Roundtable in March 2021.

In 2021, the City of Sydney has pledged to join the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative. This involves sourcing a seed from one of the original Hiroshima survivor trees for growth and eventual planting somewhere in the local government area in the City of Sydney.

MOTION
Moved by Councillor Scully, seconded by Councillor Kok.

It is resolved that:

(A) Council note:

(i) this year marks the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people;

(ii) the City of Sydney has a long standing commitment to supporting peace efforts at a local and on a global level: as a member of Mayors for Peace and key supporters of the Sydney Peace Prize, and in October 2018, Council unanimously endorsed the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons;

(iii) the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative is a global volunteer campaign, aiming to disseminate the universal message of nuclear disarmament by providing the seeds or saplings of ‘survivor trees‘ – trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – to be planted in locations all over the world;

(iv) currently seeds and saplings from the A-bombed trees are growing in more than 30 countries – in a sustained, long-term campaign, joining other efforts for a nuclear-free and sustainable future;

(v) there is community support for the City of Sydney to participate in the Green Legacy Hiroshima tree project; (vi) participation in the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative involves sourcing a seed from one of the original Hiroshima survivor trees for growth and eventual planting somewhere in the local government area; and

(vii) City staff have advised that the City does not have the facilities to grow plants imported from overseas from seed. However, they suggested that the Royal Botanic Gardens would be a suitable partner. The Royal Botanic Gardens have expressed interest and capacity to undertake this;

and (B) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i) seek advice from City staff to determine the preferred species of Survivor Tree seed, noting many of the species on the list may be considered weeds in Australia; and

(ii) initiate the process to join the Green Legacy Hiroshima project, working with the Royal Botanic Gardens to secure an appropriate seed from a Survivor Tree for cultivation and future planting in an agreed location in our local government area.

Carried unanimously.

On Monday June 23rd June, 2025 The City of Sydney (NSW) unianimously passed a commemorative motion which acknowedged the 80th anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, reaffirmed its support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Councillor Robert Kok moved that

(A) Council note:

• (i) this year marks the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of the cities of
  Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, which killed between 129,000
  and 226,000 people;
• (ii) that any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have
  catastrophic, far‐reaching and long‐lasting consequences for people and the
  environment;
• (iii) 80 years on, the threat of nuclear weapons to cities and people remains. A single
  nuclear weapon can destroy a city and kill most of its people. Several nuclear
  explosions over modern cities would kill tens of millions of people; and
• (iv) the City of Sydney has a long-standing commitment to supporting peace efforts
  at a local and on a global level: as a member of Mayors for Peace and key
  supporters of the Sydney Peace Prize;
  

(B) Council further note:

• (i) on 29 October 2018, the City of Sydney endorsed the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ‘Cities Appeal’, a global call from cities and towns in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;
• (ii) in 2020, a motion was submitted by the City of Sydney in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) for discussion at the 2020 National General Assembly which was unanimously supported;
• (iii) in August 2021, Council unanimously endorsed the City’s participation in the Green Legacy Hiroshima project, where seeds from trees that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2 are provided to cities around the world for the promotion of peace;
• (iv) in December 2022, the City received seeds of a Ginkgo biloba survivor tree from Shukkeien Garden located in Hiroshima, Japan and engaged the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney to germinate the seedlings;
• (v) a total of 9 seeds successfully germinated and a specialist tree grower has been contracted to grow them into advanced sized specimens suitable for planting in our parks; and
• (vi) the trees are currently 40cm tall and in good health, and the City expects they will be large enough for planting in Autumn 2028;
  

(C) Council reaffirms its support for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Cities Appeal, a global call from cities and towns in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;

(D) the Lord Mayor be requested to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Hibakusha and Hibakunesei (survivors) who continue to live with the legacy of nuclear weapons in newsletters and social media; and

(E) all persons attending this meeting of Council observe one minute’s silence to commemorate the thousands of lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Hibakusha and Hibakunesei who continue to live with the legacy of nuclear weapons.

Carried unanimously