Australia
Australia boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017, but has adopted a more favourable attitude towards the Treaty since 2022, following a change in government. It switched its vote on the annual UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW from a ‘no’ to an abstention.1 Australia observed the First and Second Meeting of States Parties (1MSP and 2MSPT) to the TPNW in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The government said in 2023 that it ‘is considering the TPNW systematically and methodically as part of our ambitious agenda to advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament’.2
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1973) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1998, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1986, Rarotonga) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1974) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1997) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1977) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Abstained (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes (observer) |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3.5 (100%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | 2.7 kg |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In April 2024, the Australian government released a Defence Strategic Review, which stated: ‘Australia’s best protection against the increasing risk of nuclear escalation is US extended nuclear deterrence and the pursuit of new avenues of arms control.’3 Australia is the only state party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty in any region of the world that claims to be protected by nuclear weapons.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, received a petition from the Australian Conservation Foundation and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia in March 2024, signed by more than 11,000 people, calling for Australia’s accession to the TPNW.4
In April 2024, members of a cross-party parliamentary friendship group for the TPNW released a video message in support of Australia’s ratification of the Treaty. ‘The TPNW is giving countries and citizens across the world hope, and a new and promising pathway towards the abolition of these weapons,’ they said. ‘As members of the Australian Parliamentary Friends of the TPNW, we are working together to see the nuclear weapons ban treaty signed and ratified.’5
Australia’s largest neighbour, Indonesia, ratified the TPNW in September 2024. The Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, Siswo Pramono, said: ‘I hope that all countries, including Australia, will follow suit in becoming a party to the Treaty. We need your leadership.’6
When Australia in 2023 observed the 2MSP to the TPNW, the government said in a press release: ‘Although Australia is not a State party to the TPNW, we share this goal with parties to the Treaty and are engaging constructively to identify realistic pathways for nuclear disarmament and to reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons.’ It also said that it hoped to gain insights into how states parties intend to address questions relating to verification and enforcement under the Treaty, how the Treaty will interact with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and how states parties ‘will work to achieve universal support’ for the Treaty.7
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, said in an interview in 2023 that the TPNW has ‘substantial normative value’, and if it ‘can spur more progress [under the NPT], that is a good thing’. However, she declined to offer a timeline for Australia’s signature and ratification.8
The Australian Labor Party, which has been in power since 2022, adopted a resolution in 2018 committing it to sign and ratify the TPNW in government, after taking account of a number of factors.9 The motion was moved by Anthony Albanese, the current Prime Minister, who said at the time: ‘Our commitment to sign and ratify the nuclear weapon ban treaty in government is Labor at its best.’10 The party reaffirmed this position in 2021 and 2023.
Recommendations
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Australia should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Australia should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Australia should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.