PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

 

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.

 

Senator McGRATH (Queensland—Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) (15:59):

I seek leave to make a short statement.

 

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute.

 

Senator McGRATH:

 

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.