Decision details

Moved by Councillor Thompson, seconded by Councillor Ellsmore -

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition (‘the Expo’) is set to take place at International Convention Centre (ICC) in Darling Harbour, which is owned by the NSW Government from 4 to 6 November 2025;

(ii)        the NSW Government is the principal sponsor of the Indo Pacific Expo;

(iii)       this event will act as a showcase for weapons manufacturers and defence contractors with a particular focus on nuclear powered armaments, uncrewed systems, surveillance technologies and lobbyists ensuring public money continues to finance the profits of this industry;

(iv)       many of the major stakeholders and sponsors of this event have direct connections to current, and historical, conflicts - enjoying staggering profits from the misery and suffering from conflict and war;

(v)        the first half of the 2020s has been a period of increasing geopolitical conflict and growing militarism around the globe; and

(vi)       in Australia, we must respond to these global events by actively promoting peace, disarmament and international cooperation. Indeed, Australians have marched for these values in their hundreds of thousands in recent months;

(B)       Council further note:

(i)         in 2010, the City of Sydney Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament;

(ii)        in 2018, the City of Sydney Council passed a resolution calling on the Federal Government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and endorsing the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Cities Appeal. Further, that the City of Sydney was deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world;

(iii)       the Expo does not reflect the values of the City of Sydney community and promotes an industry that actively threatens the peace and security of everyone who calls our region home; and

(iv)       the City of Sydney’s Ethics Framework as set out in our Grants and Sponsorship Policy states that the City does not support any activities or entities that unnecessarily create, encourage, or perpetuate militarism or engage in the manufacture of armaments; and

(C)       the Lord Mayor be requested to write to the NSW Premier Chris Minns:

(i)         expressing that the City of Sydney condemns the decision to host an expo in the heart of Sydney that will showcase weapons manufacturers and nuclear powered armaments;

(ii)        expressing that it is the responsibility of all levels of government to actively contribute to the de-escalation of conflict, and the promotion of peace in Australia and around the world;

(iii)       expressing that the Expo contradicts this responsibility and should never have been approved to begin with; and

(iv)       requesting that events promoting and profiteering from the sale of tools and weapons of war, such as, but not limited to, the Indo Pacific Weapons Expo, not be hosted by the NSW Government in the City of Sydney Local Government Area in the future.

The motion was carried on the following show of hands –

Ayes (8)           The Chair (the Deputy Lord Mayor), Councillors Arkins, Ellsmore, Kok, Maxwell, Thompson, Weldon and Worling

Noes (1)          Councillor Gannon.

Carried.

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