Nuclear Nonproliferation

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Christine Milne, which means that it was rejected. The motion was:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

_(i) the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is an intergovernmental body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials, including uranium, that may be applicable to the development of nuclear weapons,_

(ii) the NSG was founded in 1975 in response to the Indian nuclear test of the previous year, a test which demonstrated that certain non-weapons specific nuclear technology could be readily used for weapons development, and

_(iii) the NSG makes decisions by consensus, which means that each of the 45 NSG members, including Australia, must agree to the change of any rule, including those rules which prevent the export of uranium to non- Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty states such as India; and_

(b) calls on the Government to use its position in the NSG to block the submission to exempt India from the NSG rules preventing the supply of uranium to states which have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.