Perth Voice Interactive

STOP AUKUS WA marked the 79th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima this week by calling for the scrapping of the controversial tripartite defence agreement.

The group says the push for uranium mines, nuclear power and nuclear powered submarines can’t be separated from growing tensions globally and believe it’s encouraging supporters of nuclear weaponry to speak up.

“Nuclear weapons are now illegal under international law – but Australia is yet to sign or ratify the treaty,” the group wrote on its Facebook page after the protest.

“The public unveiling of the nuclear age occurred in August 1945, with the bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

“Tens of thousands died instantly and many more in the days and decades that followed. The human, environmental and cultural scars, trauma and poison continue today.

“From the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the shadow of the Cold War and the impacts of over 2000-plus weapons tests , the devastating legacy of nuclear weapons continues. 

“And the existential threat of nuclear weapons remains a cancer in the global body politic – weakening confidence, cooperation and hope.

“But there are persistent and powerful candles in the dark; the people that continually stand up and resist the nuclear industry at every stage and one of the brightest is the global Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

“The push for the TPNW started in Australia, but it rapidly spread around the world.

“Against a backdrop of nuclear-powered submarines in our ports and waters, ever increasing military expenditure and engagements and a growing contest over domestic nuclear power plans., signing the TPNW and literally demonstrating that the pen is mightier than the sword is more important than ever in 2024 Australia.”

The group urged supporters to write to foreign affairs minister Penny Wong calling on her to sign the agreement.