14 April, 2023
Call to support Community Rally – No Nuclear Submarines:
Fund Essential Services & Real Climate Action
Merri-bek council passed a motion ( see copy of motion below) on April 14, declaring opposition to the Australian government’s plan to spend more than $368 billion dollars on the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines. The council also declared Merri-bek to be a nuclear free zone.
At the height of the anti-nuclear movement in the 1980s, more than 140 local councils declared themselves to be nuclear free zones.
The submarines purchase was announced on 14 March and is part of the AUKUS military pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The purchase of nuclear submarines represents a massive escalation of militarism in the Asia-Pacific region and undermines peace in the world. Nuclear submarines also create highly dangerous nuclear waste. This means that the government will be imposing a highly dangerous nuclear waste dump on a community.
The $368 billion dollar price tag for the submarines will seriously reduce funding for local councils, state governments and urgent issues such as the climate, housing, health and aged care crises.
The world’s combined militaries and the weapons manufacturers contribute an estimated 6% of global carbon emissions (Scientists for Global Responsibility). The real figure is likely to be much higher because a loophole in international agreements means governments are not required to report greenhouse gas emissions emitted by their armed forces.
We need to stop the government wasting extraordinary amounts of money on weapons for an arms race, when the money is needed for urgent climate action and many other urgent social needs and essential services. That means that we need to build broad community opposition to the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines.
Merri-bek Councillors Sue Bolton & Monica Harte are calling a community rally in the local Merri-Bek area.
We demand that the Federal Labor government;
- Sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
- Abolish the nuclear-powered submarine contract and redirect the money to essential services, such as real action to address the climate crisis as well as the housing, health and aged care crises
- Abandon plans to build a nuclear waste dump .
We are calling on community organisations and individuals to endorse the rally that will be taking plac at the corner of Sydney Road and Wilson Avenue in Brunswick on Saturday July 15 at 11am.
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Merri bek Nuclear-free zone motion
That Council:
- Declares Merri-bek local government area to be a Nuclear-Free Zone. This involves:
- a) Opposing uranium, nuclear waste or other material connected to the nuclear industry (including nuclear submarines) from being stored or transported in or through the municipality. This does not apply to the responsible use of radio-isotopes in hospitals.
- b) Opposing any nuclear facility or any nuclear submarines repair facility being located in the Merri-bek community.
- c) Considers erecting Nuclear Free Zone signs at the Sydney Road and Bell St entrances of the Merri-bek municipality.
- Declares its opposition to the Port of Melbourne being used to host nuclear submarines because of the risk of a nuclear accident and the health risks to workers in the port and the surrounding communities.
- Declares its opposition to a nuclear waste dump being created in Australia as there is no safe means of storing nuclear waste.
- Declares its opposition to the Australian government buying nuclear submarines because:
- a) The $368 billion price tag for the submarines will result in less funding being available for local councils and state governments. The cost of the nuclear submarines will drain funding away from addressing urgent issues such as the housing crisis and crisis of funding for aged and disability care, climate and many other urgent issues.
- b) The nuclear submarines could fuel an arms race in the Asian region which increases the threat of war. This would be a threat to everyone living in the Asian region, including people in Australia.
- To publish a statement opposing the purchase of the nuclear submarines and seek support from other councils which have endorsed the ICAN Cities Appeal which calls for the Australian Government to adopt the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the United Nations in 2018″