Tuesday, 11 August 2026

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (14:44): Australia must sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. I spoke last year as we marked Hiroshima Day and the 80th anniversary of the cataclysmic bombing that claimed 140,000 lives and the deadly blast at Nagasaki days later, which added 74,000 to the death toll. Countless survivors suffered lifelong health impacts and early deaths in the decades since. As 6 August passed again this year, I asked: how many more Hiroshima days will we count before Australia uses our power to stand against nuclear Armageddon as around the world violent conflicts rage and indiscriminate killing of civilians escalates, as the doomsday clock sits at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest we have ever been to global destruction? Despite recent statements confirming that AUKUS will not impede Australia’s progress on the signing and ratifying of the treaty, still no timeline has yet been given by the federal Labor government to take this incredibly important step. It is past time for Australia to stand up for a nuclear weapon-free future, and for the federal government to go beyond words and actually act. No more excuses – sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.