Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brown for the question. Firstly, I should say to the Senate that I am aware of unconfirmed media reports of a test of a nuclear device in North Korea. It is a very serious matter, but so far, as at the start of question time, we have been unable to confirm these reports. It is absolutely scandalous. There is no doubt at all that North Korea’s ordinary people suffer while its leadership, which has relied for over 10 years on international aid to feed its people, devotes that nation’s scarce resources to weapons and missile programs.

However, I can give Senator Brown some information about the government’s action in relation to North Korea. As I understand it, there has indeed been some reasonably recent contact between the minister and the North Korean ambassador. In these communications Mr Downer has strongly condemned North Korea’s announcement that it intended to test a nuclear weapon. As I said, at the start of question time that had not been confirmed. On the instructions of Mr Downer, the acting DFAT secretary called in the North Korean ambassador on 4 October to register Australia’s outrage at North Korea’s statement to proceed.

The ambassador was told—unequivocally, as I understand it—that a test would make North Korea less secure, not more; that a test would be a grave setback to the peaceful resolution of the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and a fundamental blow, of course, to regional stability. These matters have been well and truly flagged, for Senator Brown’s information. Australia does fully support the presidential statement unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 6 October expressing deep concern over the nuclear test threat. North Korea, on these indications, should have no illusions about the severe consequences that would follow a test if in fact that is confirmed. A nuclear test would be completely unacceptable to the international community and would provoke a very strong international response. Such action would logically go well beyond the UNSCR Resolution 1695, and Australia would fully support such measures. Australia would also respond to a test with new restrictions on the bilateral relationship, which will remain until North Korea meets the commitments it made in the joint statement issued by the six-party talks in September last year.

I think it is fair to say that this government is outraged that a country that has had to rely principally on the international community to provide even basic food to its people does devote so many of its scarce resources to missile and nuclear weapons programs. What I will do in response to Senator Brown’s question is, first of all, see whether or not the reports can be confirmed; and if I can provide some further specific information, I will do so.