Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In your AUKUS speech you referred to Australia's proud leadership in nonproliferation, but constituents tell me they fear a nuclear arms race because of AUKUS. Does the government plan to merely meet safeguards or now join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in line with the motion you successfully proposed at the Labor national conference in 2018, seconded by the now defence minister and reaffirmed in 2021?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and for her commitment on these issues, including to nuclear nonproliferation. The Labor Party has a proud history of championing practical, international nonproliferation and disarmament efforts, going back to the work that Gareth Evans and the Hawke government did, going through to the work that was undertaken under the Rudd and Gillard governments. That will continue to occur under a government that I am proud to lead.

We are steadfast in our support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as the cornerstone of the global nonproliferation and disarmament regime. There is no question that Australia recognises the devastating consequences for humanity of any use of nuclear weapons. Tragically, we have seen that authoritarian tinpot dictator Vladimir Putin threaten the use of nuclear weapons against the people of Ukraine. So we know the consequences of proliferation. We are redoubling our efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, including by helping others to meet that same high standard to which we hold ourselves.

On the issue of nuclear propulsion for submarines: it's important to draw the distinction. They have nuclear propulsion but they will not have nuclear weapons. We are not acquiring nuclear weapons.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will pause. I'll hear from the member for Goldstein on a point of order.

Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance. The question was: does the government plan to sign the treaty?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question, for part of it, is asking about a decision of a national conference, which, under the standing orders, is not applicable to the Prime Minister. That part of the question, he can delete. I'll ask him to continue.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the lead-up—it seems like a long time ago, I've got to say—to the San Diego announcement, we said publicly that myself and the defence minister and the foreign minister spoke to more than 60 world leaders and briefed them. We also had the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, secretary-general Grossi, in close liaison with us, the political leadership of this country, as well as our defence leadership to make sure that everything we were doing was completely in compliance with our commitments on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the NPT, but also that everything we had done was completely in accord with the Treaty of Rarotonga, which is very important for our Pacific island friends. We made sure that we got that right.

On the issue of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Australia certainly has a view, very clearly, that a world without nuclear weapons would be a very good thing. We don't acquire them ourselves. We wish that they weren't there. What we will do, though, is work systematically and methodically through the issues in accordance with the commitments that were made in the national platform. (Time expired)