David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong. In October, at the UN General Assembly First Committee, Australia abstained on a resolution on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. Instead of voting yes, Australia voted no due to an apparent concern with the line:

… it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons never be used again, under any circumstances.

One hundred and thirty-six nations voted in favour of this resolution, which also notes that the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again is their total elimination. If the government is as strongly committed to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament as it claims, why did it vote against the resolution?