All posts by Jon Atkins

Anzac Day Reflection 2022

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Clr Justine Langford. Click to enlarge.

This year’s Anzac Day Reflection was held in Richardson’s Lookout – Marrickville Peace Park. This was the fifth time that the event has been held in Marrickville Peace Park since 2014, with no event occurring in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Organised by the Marrickville Peace Group, the event attracted around 50 people. In the spirit of genuine remembrance, these events offer participants the opportunity to ask some hard questions, such as how our nation became involved in wars abroad, what purposes were actually being served, and what mistakes were made in prolonging hostilities. Continue reading Anzac Day Reflection 2022 →

Planned Nuclear Submarine Base at Port Kembla Opposed

Defence Issues, Nuclear Weapons, , , , ,
Source: The Strategist. Click to enlarge.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed yesterday that a nuclear powered submarine base, purported to cost $10 billion, would be built on Australia’s east coast as part of the AUKUS partnership with the US and the UK.

Port Kembla, Newcastle and Brisbane have been cited as possible locations for the base.

In a statement released yesterday, Mick Cross, Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia’s Southern NSW Branch, opposed any nuclear proliferation in the Illawarra.1 Continue reading Planned Nuclear Submarine Base at Port Kembla Opposed →

Peru – 59th state party to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Disarmament, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
Antonio García Revilla, a Director-General at the Foreign Ministry of Peru, signs the TPNW in New York on 20 September 2017. Photo: ICAN. Click photo to enlarge.

On December 23, 2021, Peru become the 59th state party to ratify the United Nation’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). In a press statement, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry stated that Peru’s ratification of the TPNW highlights its “high commitment to its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law”, adding that it “is in line with Peru’s commitment to promoting international peace and security to facilitate the development and growth of our peoples”.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has congratulated the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, as well as Peruvian and Latin-American activists, particularly those associated with the Human Security Network for Latin America and the Caribbean (SEHLAC), who campaigned for this outcome. Continue reading Peru – 59th state party to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons →

IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, Promoting Peace, US-Australia Alliance,
Click to enlarge

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has released an Interim Report entitled A People’s Inquiry: Exploring the Case for an Independent and Peaceful Australia.  This Inquiry has investigated the costs and consequences of Australia’s involvement in US-led wars and the US-Australia Alliance.

The objective of the Inquiry was to encourage submissions from individuals and organisations on eight focus areas associated with the US-Australia Alliance – including social, political, military and defence, economic and environmental impacts – leading to a report that outlines a credible pathway towards achieving  a genuinely independent foreign policy for Australia. Continue reading IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released →

76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021

Nuclear Weapons, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Hiroshima’s Genbaku Dome

On the 6th and 9th of August, community groups around the world will commemorate the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1945, the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6th August) and Nagasaki (9th August). Over the following two to four months, the effects of the atomic bombings killed between 90,000 and 146,000 people in Hiroshima and between 39,000 and 80,000 people in Nagasaki. Roughly half of these deaths occurred within 24 hours of these bombings. For months afterwards, large numbers of people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Most of the victims were civilians. Continue reading 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021 →

NAIDOC Week 2021

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,

NAIDOC Week 2021 will be held from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. Its acronym has now become the name of the week itself.

This year’s theme – Heal Country! – calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. It entails formal recognition that Indigenous people have been dispossessed and the implementation of specific programs designed to redress the grave social and economic disadvantage that has followed this dispossession. Continue reading NAIDOC Week 2021 →

Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution

Israel & Occupied Territories, Israel and Palestine

Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on 27 April 2021.

The 213-page report A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution describes how the Israeli government systematically privileges Jewish Israelis while repressing Palestinians, most severely in the occupied territory. Continue reading Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution →

Anzac Day Reflection 2021

Anzac Day, War Commemoration, , ,
Jennifer Newman – click to enlarge

This year’s Anzac Day Reflection was held in Richardson’s Lookout – Marrickville Peace Park.

The occasion offered participants an opportunity to remember the loss of Australian servicemen and women in WW1 and subsequent wars, along with the physical harm and psychological trauma suffered by others that served, as well as the grief endured by their families.

As the name suggests, however, Anzac Day Reflections aim to do more than recognise Australian casualties resulting from military service in foreign lands. In the spirit of genuine remembrance, they offer participants the opportunity to ask some hard questions, such as how our nation became involved in these wars, what purposes were actually being served, and what mistakes were made in prolonging hostilities. Continue reading Anzac Day Reflection 2021 →

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Under Threat

Aboriginal Affairs, ,
Source: insidestory.org.au

On 30 October 2020, Ken Wyatt AM MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, announced the beginning of the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Process.

Following this announcement, the Federal government launched stage two of the co-design process by releasing the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Process Interim Report (Interim Report) on 9 January 2021 and initiating a four-month consultation process.

Individuals, communities and organisations have been encouraged to provide feedback either by completing a survey or by making a formal submission. Submissions close on 31 March 2021 and the survey will close at the end of the engagement period on 9 May 2021.

Continue reading Indigenous Voice To Parliament Under Threat →

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force on January 22, 2021!

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The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters into force on Friday January 22, 2021.

So far the TPNW has gained 86 signatories and been ratified by 52 nations. The Treaty required a total of 50 ratifications before coming into force. The current list of signatories and ratifications can be viewed here.

To celebrate this historic achievement, a number of events are being organised in Australia and around the world.

Continue reading Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force on January 22, 2021! →

Inner West Council calls on Morrison government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

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At its last online meeting for the year on December 8, 2020, the Inner West Council endorsed the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons’ Cities Appeal.

MPG congratulates Council for endorsing ICAN’s Cities Appeal.

The global Cities Appeal states:

Our city/town is deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world. We firmly believe that our residents have the right to live in a world free from this threat. Any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have catastrophic, far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for people and the environment.

Continue reading Inner West Council calls on Morrison government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons →

Inquiry into War Crimes in Afghanistan

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, War Crimes

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has welcomed the announcement that a special investigator will be appointed to probe allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and prosecute any criminal misconduct. This follows a four-year inquiry into possible breaches of law between 2005 and 2016.

In its media release, IPAN’s spokesperson, Dr Alison Broinowski, called on this process to be public and transparent and not determined behind closed doors.  The media release also called on the following measures to be adopted:

Continue reading Inquiry into War Crimes in Afghanistan →

UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons hits 50 ratifications!

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
Photo: ICAN. Click to enlarge.

On October 24, 2020, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the Treaty) reached the required 50 states parties for its entry into force, after Honduras ratified it just one day after Jamaica and Nauru submitted their ratifications. The Treaty will enter into force on January 22, 2021, instituting a ban on nuclear weapons, 75 years after their first use.

This milestone means the Treaty will become international law on January 22, 2021, increasing pressure on nuclear armed states and other countries to support the treaty. The treaty now has 84 signatories and 50 states parties.

Continue reading UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons hits 50 ratifications! →

UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – only 4 ratifications to go!

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
Photo: ICAN. Click to enlarge.

Malaysia has become the 46th nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Foreign Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, signed the instrument of ratification on behalf of Malaysia on 30 September 2020. It was deposited with the United Nations later that day. Just four more ratifications are now needed to bring the treaty into force.

In a video address played at the signing ceremony in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to mark the occasion, Hishammuddin Hussein expressed concern that the nuclear-weapon states have been regressing in the area of disarmament.

Continue reading UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – only 4 ratifications to go! →