Whilst Prime Minister Morrison has declared that Australia is not seeking to establish nuclear weapons or establish a civil nuclear capability as a result of the recently announced nuclear submarine deal, CRA believes this declaration can only be guaranteed by the government ratifying the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. CRA has written to the PM making this appeal.
Even though the Government claims that the submarines will be conventionally armed, CRA President Peter Carroll FMS said, “Having nuclear-powered submarines has crossed a threshold by nuclearising our military for the first time, and I fear we will become susceptible to future escalating nuclear development and collaboration with our nuclear-armed allies.”
Pope Francis reminded us, on his visit to the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park in Nagasaki in 2019, that “Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation.”
The proposed development and placement of military nuclear reactors in Australia threaten both human and environmental health.
Anne Walker, CRA National Executive Director, added “The development of these submarines will require the use of highly enriched uranium, and its mining and processing carries the threat of diseases in mine workers and nearby inhabitants, as well as long-lasting environmental pollution.”
“Additionally, the nuclear reactors themselves risk becoming nuclear targets and sites of potential nuclear accidents. Even through normal use, nuclear reactors can emit radiological contamination into surrounding air, water and soil,” she said.
On the International Day of Peace, Tuesday 21 September, CRA calls on the Australian government to end its complicity in the global nuclear problem, by ratifying the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and pledging not to develop, test, acquire, or use nuclear weapons. Only by doing so can we truly build a culture of peace between nations, peoples and the planet.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Sylvia MacRitchie-Hook | M: 0410 644 356 | E: comms@catholicreligious.org.au