Decision details

Moved by the Chair (the Deputy Lord Mayor), seconded by Councillor Miller –

It is resolved that Council submit the following motion for consideration at the next Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly (the Assembly):

It is resolved that:

(A)        the Assembly note:

(i)          nuclear weapons pose an unacceptable threat to people everywhere. That is why the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was adopted in July 2017 by 122 member states of the United Nations;

(ii)         the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon is the first treaty to comprehensively outlaw nuclear weapons, setting out a pathway for their total elimination;

(iii)        at this time the Treaty has been signed by 81 nations and ratified by 35 nations. Once ratified by 50 nations, it will enter into force;

(iv)       while the Australian Government supports the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, it has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty;

(v)         in 2018 The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) launched the Cities Appeal, a campaign for towns and cities to voice their concern for the consequences of nuclear weapons and endorse the Treaty. At this time, 26 Australian towns and cities have endorsed the Cities Appeal, and many other international cities have done the same;

(vi)       ninety towns and cities across Australia are members of the Mayors for Peace, an international organisation which calls for nuclear disarmament;

(vii)      nuclear dangers are increasing worldwide, and with more than 13,500 nuclear weapons still in existence the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons is a humanitarian imperative;

(viii)     cities and towns have a responsibility to protect their constituents from the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

(B)        the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), originally established in Australia in 2007, were awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for their ground-breaking efforts to achieve a global treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons. The Assembly congratulate ICAN on their historic achievement and contribution toward global nuclear disarmament; and

(C)       the Assembly calls on the government to sign and ratify the Treaty on behalf of the Australian people.

Carried unanimously.

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