Nuclear disarmament?

Nuclear Disarmament and Uranium Exports Inquiry. PM Rudd has a Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, to examine the set of international nuclear treaties involving Australia – including Australia’s uranium exports bilateral agreements, and to report on how they may be made more comprehensive or effective and how they may advance Australia’s objectives in this field.

This is a key opportunity for civil society to influence the Federal Government to take up a lead role for nuclear disarmament and to drive strengthened international initiatives in the lead up to the NPT Review in 2010; to recognise nuclear insecurity issues and to reject any proposed expansion of nuclear reactors; and to require a range of strengthened safeguards as pre-conditions on supply of Australia’s uranium exports – including on nuclear disarmament, nuclear waste management, security and safety issues, as a step toward phase out of uranium exports.

This Inquiry should give lead consideration to a proposed Nuclear Weapons Convention to bring about the elimination of nuclear weapons and recommend that Australia champion this initiative before the United Nations, see: http://www.icanw.org/nuclear-weapons-convention

The Inquiry will conduct a review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and examine a range of other nuclear treaties – including steps to bring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in to force to end nuclear testing for all time; and for a proposed Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) that must prohibit reprocessing and the separation of weapons-usable fissile materials as a key step toward an end to the production of fissile materials.

The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCT) will conduct the Inquiry, public submissions are sought by 30 January 2009 (extensions may be provided by the Secretary, Ph: 02-6277 4002 and e-mail: jsct@aph.gov.au), and Hearings are likely to be held around Australia with the committee to Report in mid 2009. For further information on the JSCT Inquiry see: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/nuclearnon_proliferation/tor.htm

This Inquiry provides a lead opportunity for a critical review of Australia’s nuclear cooperation and uranium exports agreements across the board and in particular the treaty signed with China by the previous Federal Liberal Government.

Civil society can take up the Recommendations of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) Report “An Illusion of Protection. The Unavoidable limitations of safeguards on nuclear materials and the export of uranium to China” (October 2006) – applicable to all of Australia’s uranium exports, and in particular take up this lead opportunity to recommend to JSCT that Australia’s untenable uranium exports deal with China should not be continued by the new Federal Government.

A recent JSCT Inquiry (Report 94, Sept 2008) recommended that the Commonwealth not proceed with a proposed uranium sales agreement with Russia and set strong pre-conditions on some key issues (see attached jpg file). The existing China deal fails the test of the Recommendations of the “An Illusion of Protection” Report and also fails the test of compliance with the JSCT preconditions set on the proposed Russia deal.

Information on nuclear insecurity issues and recommendations for strengthened safeguards as pre-conditions on supply of Australia’s uranium exports will be available from Jim Green, Friends of the Earth Australia, Ph 03-94198700 and e-mail: jim.green@foea.org.au
And in the new year from David Noonan, ACF Nuclear Free Campaigner, Ph 08-82116838 and e-mail: d.noonan@acfonline.org.au

The “An Illusion of Protection” Report Recommendations are attached (save the jpg file to open) and the full report is available at:
www.acfonline.org.au