Activists urge Australia to back nuclear weapons ban treaty as Pacific voices grow louder
Anti-nuclear activists and Pacific leaders are urging Australia to sign the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons, arguing it would strengthen peace, accountability and regional security.
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Anti-nuclear campaigners and Pacific Island representatives are stepping up pressure on Australia to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, framing it as both a moral responsibility and a regional security test.
The push comes as activists gathered in Canberra to mark the 80th anniversary of the first nuclear test in the Marshall Islands, a reminder they say of the long-term human cost of nuclear weapons. They are urging lawmakers to align Australia with Pacific neighbours that have already moved to support the ban treaty.
Reverend James Bhagwan of the Pacific Conference of Churches said an Australian signature would send a “powerful message,” underscoring the idea that nuclear weapons have no place in the region. Jack Niedenthal, a former health secretary of the Marshall Islands, said the United States has still not adequately addressed the harm caused by nuclear testing.
ICAN Australia has also argued that more Pacific nations joining the treaty increase pressure on Canberra to act, saying Australia is becoming an outlier in the Asia-Pacific. The group says the treaty is a principled stand against weapons it describes as catastrophic and illegal under international law.
Australia has previously shifted its tone on the treaty, moving from outright opposition to a more cautious position in recent years, but it has still not signed or ratified the agreement. Campaigners say that gap between rhetoric and action is now harder to defend as support for nuclear disarmament grows across the region.
The debate also has a political dimension. Earlier ABC coverage noted that Labor had once promised support for the treaty in opposition, a pledge campaigners say should now be honored in government.
For activists, the core message is simple: Australia should back a treaty that reinforces peace, reflects Pacific concerns, and reduces the legitimacy of nuclear weapons in the region.
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