Merri-bek council passed a motion on April 14, declaring opposition to the Australian government’s plan to spend more than $368 billion dollars on the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines. The council also declared Merri-bek to be a nuclear free zone.

Join the Rally: 11am Saturday 15 July
Where: Cnr Wilson Ave and Sydney Road, Brunswick (Oppositite Barkly Square)
Event Details: Facebook

At the height of the anti-nuclear movement in the 1980s, more than 140 local councils declared themselves to be nuclear free zones.

The submarines purchase was announced on 14 March 2023 and is part of the AUKUS military pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The purchase of nuclear submarines represents a massive escalation of militarism in the Asia-Pacific region and undermines peace in the world. Nuclear submarines also create highly dangerous nuclear waste. This means that the government will be imposing a highly dangerous nuclear waste dump on a community.

The $368 billion dollar price tag for the submarines will seriously reduce funding for local councils, state governments and urgent issues such as the climate, housing, health and aged care crises.

The world’s combined militaries and the weapons manufacturers contribute an estimated 5.5% of global carbon emissions (See Reuters, 11 July 2023,: Insight: World’s war on greenhouse gas emissions has a military blind spot). The real figure is likely to be much higher because a loophole in international agreements means governments are not required to report greenhouse gas emissions emitted by their armed forces.

We need to stop the government wasting extraordinary amounts of money on weapons for an arms race, when the money is needed for urgent climate action and many other urgent social needs and essential services. That means that we need to build broad community opposition to the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines.

Climate Change is a hyper threat that needs to be prioritised as a climate security threat. Nuclear powered submarines does not contribute to tackling that hyper threat. Read the work of Elizabeth Boulton, a former Australian Army major, who has done enormous reseach on climate as a security threat, including outlining PLAN E, an ecological military/social strategy for tackling the Climate hyper threat. Read more at Scientists Warning: After COP27, What Are The Options? An Introduction to Plan E or visit Elizabeth Boulton website: Destination Safe Earth.

Merri-bek Councillors Sue Bolton & Monica Harte have called a community rally in the local Merri-Bek area. Climate Action Merribek has endorsed this rally.

We demand that the Federal Labor government;

1. Sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
   
2. Abolish the nuclear-powered submarine contract and redirect the money to essential services, such as real action to address the climate crisis as well as the housing, health and aged care crises
   
3. Abandon plans to build a nuclear waste dump .