The Blue Mountains Peace Collective (BMPC) held a public forum entitled War and Peace in the mid Blue Mountains town of Lawson on Sunday, September 15, 2024.1
The forum began with a musical welcome by guitarist Chris Venn. BMPC member, Nic Franklin, then provided an Acknowledgement of Country and welcomed over 20 people who were present to the event.
Vince Scappatura’s speech
The first speaker, Vince Scappatura, an author and lecturer at Macquarie University, argued that there has been a significant shift in Australia’s defence policy linked to the US Force Posture Initiatives.
Until recently, US B52 strategic bombers were permitted to undertake rotations in the Northern Territory on a regular basis and engage in interoperability exercises. However, the decision to convert the Tindal Air Force Base (Tindal AFB), in particular, to a permanent base of operations for US force projection, including potentially nuclear combat, has signalled a decisive shift in Australia’s defence policy.
It was emphasised that “this is really the first time in Australia’s history where there will be the possibility, conceivably, of nuclear combat operations being launched from Australian territory.”
Vince Scappatura added that this significant shift in defence policy involves more than US strategic bombers using Australian air force bases for combat operations. It also involves “active support by the Australian Defence Force for nuclear combat operations such as re-fueling strategic bombers, providing air protection with our F35s or early warning command and control.”
In other words, this shift in defence policy means that Australia has potentially become implicated in supporting US nuclear war fighting.
While the implications of this shift are very significant, it was pointed out that there is no serious discussion of this momentous change in the media. The Australian public learnt about the upgrade of Tindal AFB to a B52 squadron operation base, not from the Australian government, but from US tender documents that were sent out to potential contractors for the building of the base’s expanded facilities.
In addition, Vince Scappatura mentioned that he had recently co-authored a report with Richard Tanter on the B52 bomber and the implications for Australia. The report is basically a visual guide that allows the media and civil society organisations to distinguish between B52 bombers that are nuclear capable and those that are conventional only. Given that our own government refuses to inform the public about this distinction based on the policy of ‘neither confirm nor deny’, it is hoped that the report will help generate more transparency relating to this issue.2
Finally, it was pointed out that Australia is not yet at the level of nuclear integration with the US such as its NATO partners or South Korea. While Australia is integrated with the US at the operational level, in terms of policy it does not appear that Australia has given any pre-commitments to participate in US nuclear war fighting at this stage.
Nevertheless, it was pointed out that there is a concerted push to go in that direction. As a result, it was recommended that this push be vigorously resisted and that the current level of integration with the US military be rolled back.
Afterall, it was stressed that the above shift in defence policy makes Australia a nuclear target, in fact a series of targets including its air bases, naval bases, and intelligence and communications facilities.3
Kelly Marks’ speech
The second speaker was Kelly Marks, a primary school teacher and research/industrial officer with the NSW Teachers Federation.
One of the jobs Kelly Marks has with the NSW Teachers Federation (the Federation) is to facilitate a group called the Peace Environment and International Issues Special Interest Group (abbreviated to SIG).
This group welcomes the participation of all Federation members – active or retired – in SIG’s monthly meetings to discuss peace, environment and international issues.
It was in 1982 that the Federation endorsed an executive resolution calling for the election of a ‘peace contact’ in all union branches throughout NSW.
The 1980s were subsequently one of the high points in the Federation’s engagement with peace issues with around 400 members attending annual conferences in 1982 and 1983.
More recently, at the annual conference in July 2023, another executive motion endorsed by the membership entitled “On Peace” set out the Federation’s history and involvement in peace activism, as well as the challenges that the Federation was facing in this regard.
Kelly Marks reported that one of these challenges that has activated the membership is the AUKUS pact. Among the reasons for this is the massive price tag of $368 billion attached to this secretive pact. In part, AUKUS involves the transfer of nuclear-powered attack submarines to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the rotational basing of US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines at HMAS Stirling known as Submarine Rotational Force – West.4
The massively distorting impact of AUKUS on government expenditures contributes to undermining the adequate funding of vital social programs and services. This impact has given greater impetus to the Federation’s campaign around the need for public schools to be properly funded in accordance with the minimum resourcing standard set out in the Gonski Review Report, released 11 years ago in 2013!
Other initiatives pursued by the Federation on peace issues, include links with Arthur Rorris and South Coast Labor Council’s actions relating to steel manufacturing in the Illawarra region and the possible supply of weapon components to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the context of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Daryl Le Cornu’s speech
The third speaker was Daryl Le Cornu, a part-time lecturer at University of Western Sydney and a board member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) since 2015.
The main focus of this speech was on arms control agreements, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, in particular.
It was noted that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into force in 1970 but had made little progress in achieving one of its primary goals of nuclear disarmament.
Discussion then focused on the history and provisions in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW or Treaty) which increasingly gained traction in the 1990s as a result of the NPT’s shortcomings.
There were many agencies and civil society organisations that campaigned vigorously for the TPNW, including the International Red Cross and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
ICAN was launched in 2007 and by 2022 it had acquired 661 partner organisations in 110 countries.
On July 7, 2017, the TPNW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly by a vote of 122-1. The Treaty, which prohibits the development, testing, production, manufacture, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, transfer, use, and threatened use of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, needed to be ratified by 50 states before entering into force on the international stage.
By October 24, 2020, the Treaty had been ratified by the 50th state, triggering its entry into force on January 22, 2021.5
As at September 20, 2024, 69 states parties had ratified the Treaty, while another 27 states parties had signed but not yet ratified it. Interestingly, it was predicted that the number of states parties ratifying the Treaty was expected to grow by the end of month.6
One obvious omission in this regard is Australia, even though Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party have previously indicated a commitment to sign and ratify the TPNW.7
However, given PM Albanese’s championing of AUKUS and increasing ties with US defence strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, it is reasonable to assume that Australia’s signing of the TPNW is unlikely to occur in the near future, unless a significant social movement arises around the country which forces the Labor leadership to move on this issue.
Posters, Q&A and songs
During the tea and coffee break, participants were able to peruse a wide range of vintage peace posters which had been put on display around the hall.
This was followed by a productive Q&A session. A number of moving peace songs were then performed by Rachael and Luca Barker.
The forum concluded with Andris Heks’ rendition of “We’ll all go together when we go”!
Audio recording and transcript
An audio recording of Vince Scappatura’s speech can be heard here. A transcript of his speech with minor edits can be read here.
Notes
1. The Blue Mountains Peace Collective’s website can be viewed here.
2. Vince Scappatura and Richard Tanter, “Nuclear-Capable B-52H Stratofortress Bombers: A Visual Guide To Identification”, NAPSNet Special Reports, August 26, 2024.
3. Vince Scappatura’s latest book is The US Lobby and Australian Defence Policy, Melbourne, Monash University Publishing, June 2019.
4. NSW Teachers Federation, ‘AUKUS makes Peace Contacts a priority’, Jul 4, 2023 and Pip Hinman, ‘NSW Teachers Federation deepens opposition to AUKUS, militarism’, Green Left, July 5, 2023.
5. For more on TPNW’s history, refer to MPG’s posts “Celebration of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’s entry into force”, January 27, 2021 and “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – First Meeting of States Parties – 21 to 23 June 2022”, May 25, 2022.
6. ICAN, TPNW signature and ratification status, webpage accessed September 20, 2024.
7. Tim Wright, “Prime Minister Albanese is a TPNW Champion”, ICAN Australia, 2022.
Update
Indonesia, Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands have now ratified the TPNW. Ministers from these three nations deposited their country’s instruments of ratification at a high-level ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 24, bringing the total number of states parties to 72. A further 25 states have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty.