Perth Voice Interactive

ANTI-NUCLEAR groups banded together early Wednesday morning to protest outside an international defence meeting in the Perth CBD, with a strong police presence standing ready.

Stop AUKUS WA, Nuclear Free WA, Friends of Palestine WA along with many student and union groups rallied outside of Perth Convention Centre at 7.30am to protest negotiations being made inside the Indian Ocean Defence and Security conference regarding Australia’s support in AUKUS and Israel.

Greens senator Dorinda Cox spoke at the event and told the Voice she believed the heavy police presence was intended to intimidate the protesters.

“The rise of militarisation and force against people is not the trajectory we should be going towards. It should be about freedom and peace,” Ms Cox said.

The senator said she was disappointed the Australian Submarine Agency and Australian Defence Force had successfully applied for Garden Island to become a nuclear waste facility through the AUKUS agreement, having had no consultation with traditional owners.

“There’s not a solution for nuclear waste globally, and yet we will dump it over there and store it at Garden Island without the consent of First Nations people who have been fighting the fight against nuclear for such a long period of time.”

Former Fremantle councillor and Stop AUKUS spokesperson Sam Wainwright said the protest was “very spirited” and addressed a diverse number of issues with a connection being drawn between AUKUS and the war in Gaza through the facilitation of Israel.

“We don’t want to normalise the idea of having weapons conferences in Perth,” Mr Wainwright said.

“We don’t think it’s right. We don’t think it’s the path Australia should be going down.”

Nuclear Free WA spokesperson KA Garlick said the protest was “loud and shouty” but most importantly “people power was strong”.

by IMOGEN WALSH