PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (19:05): I move: That this House: (1) notes the 80th anniversary of the commencement of nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific, during which over 300 nuclear detonations were conducted across the Marshall Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati and surrounding region; (2) gives solemn acknowledgment of the harmful and enduring environmental, cultural, and health consequences of cumulative historical United States', French, and British nuclear testing in the region, carried out between 1946 and 1996, including the: (a) exposure of hundreds of thousands of Marshallese, Ma'ohi, and I-Kiribati people to levels of radiation which have contributed to increased cancer rates and other illnesses related to radiation exposure; (b) exposure of tens of thousands of military service members and workers to radiation levels which have resulted in ongoing consequences for their health and the health of their families; (c) loss of culture, health and social cohesion resulting from the forced relocation and displacement that separated Pacific Islanders from their families, homes, and ancestral lands; and (d) widespread environmental impacts which include the contamination of drinking water, food sources and arable land, and the damage to coral reefs and marine ecosystems; (3) supports the continued strengthening of Australia's deep partnership with the Pacific family and our longstanding regional cooperation, and in this context, recognises the significance of: (a) Australia's continued efforts to support radiation monitoring and nuclear test site assessment in partnership with Pacific nations while recognising that more work can be done to fully address the fallout that persists at former nuclear test sites; and (b) Australia's foundational role in and continued implementation of the obligations under the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which in December 2026 will mark 40 years since it entered into force; (4) further notes Australia's history of British nuclear weapons testing in the Monte Bello Islands, Emu Field, and Maralinga, and the disproportionate and ongoing impacts this continues to have on First Nations communities and the environmental and cultural value of their country and the significant impacts on Australian service members and their families; (5) affirms the importance of sustained international commitment to nuclear non-proliferation through established multilateral frameworks that advance peace and collective security, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and noting the contribution of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; (6) commends the advocacy of victims/survivors in Australia and the Pacific for their steadfast commitment to advancing global nuclear disarmament and their leading role in advancing, signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, including its entry into force in 2021; and (7) emphasises the urgent imperative for all states to refrain from nuclear weapons testing and to engage in genuine, transparent, and verifiable nuclear disarmament efforts in line with their commitments to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty, including its entry into force, which Australia and its Pacific neighbours strongly support.

I acknowledge the more than a dozen people behind me in the chamber, even at this time of night, to hear us debate this important matter. The first of July marks the 80th anniversary of the first US nuclear detonation in the Marshall Islands. The second of July will mark 60 years since the first French detonation at Mururoa atoll.

This motion is an opportunity to acknowledge the harmful and enduring environmental, cultural and health consequences of cumulative historical United States, French and British nuclear testing in the region carried out between 1946 and 1996. During that period of nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific, more than 300 nuclear detonations were conducted across the Marshall Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati and the surrounding region.

Between 1946 and 1958, the US conducted 67 nuclear weapons explosions in the Marshall Islands. Between '57 and '58 Fijian soldiers were deployed to what is now part of the Republic of Kiribati during the series of nine British nuclear explosions. Between 1966 and 1996, France conducted 193 atmospheric and underground nuclear explosions.

I acknowledge, too, Australia's own history of British nuclear weapons between 1952 and 1963, the 12 major nuclear weapons explosions and hundreds of bomb development minor trials in the Montebello Islands, Emu Field and Maralinga. For the Pacific, the testing resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of Marshallese, Ma'ohi, l-Kiribati people to levels of radiation which have contributed to increased cancer rates and other illnesses related to radiation exposure.

People suffered a loss of culture, health, social cohesion as a result of forced relocation and displacement that separated Pacific Islanders from their families, homes and ancestral lands. The environmental impacts are profound—the contamination of drinking water, food sources and arable land, and the damage to coral reefs and marine ecosystems. The disproportionate and ongoing impact of these actions continues, including on our own First Nations communities.

So with the legacy of nuclear testing still felt deeply in Australia, our region and across the world, we want nuclear weapons testing to be relegated to history. Australia has a longstanding regional cooperation with the Pacific family. There are our continued efforts to support radiation monitoring and nuclear test site assessment in partnership with Pacific nations, while recognising that more work can be done to fully address the fallout that persists at former nuclear test sites.

Australia has a foundational role in the establishment of and continued implementation of the obligations under the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which will mark 40 years in December this year. But there's more to do. Visiting parliament this week is a delegation with ICANN, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to establish the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the TPNW, which came into force in 2021.

The delegation this week includes representatives of the Fiji Nuclear Veterans and Families Association, the Marshall Islands Student Association, the Pacific Conference of Churches, and Australia's First Nations ambassador, and they will continue the work. Pacific nations demonstrated significant leadership in ensuring the entry into force of the TPNW, with 10 Pacific states among the original 50 when it entered into force.

The Solomon Islands was the most recent Pacific Island state to ratify the treaty, in 2024. The TPNW strictly prohibits nations from carrying out, assisting or encouraging any nuclear explosive testing, as well as mandating assistance for victims and environmental remediation at past test sites. In 2023, the UN General Assembly, including Australia, overwhelmingly supported a resolution that called attention to the need to address the legacy of nuclear weapons use and testing.

Through the work of successive resolutions, there will soon—later this year—be a meeting on victim assistance and remediation. I'll continue to advocate for the importance of sustained international commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Time is running out.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Fernando ): Is there a seconder for this motion? Mr Matt Smith: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.