2023-07-04
Australian survivors of the British nuclear testing regime visit Canberra to demand Recognition, Respect and Repair
By Jemila Rushton and Gem Romuld, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Australia.
Last month, four special people that know intimately the personal impacts of nuclear weapons testing, on physical health, mental health, and on country, travelled to Parliament House in Canberra.
They brought their expertise and personal testimonies to speak with parliamentarians about recognition, respect, and repair, and to urge Australia to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
The delegates went from meetings, to phone interviews, to TV studios, to events and to more meetings. They criss-crossed the entire Parliament House. They met with the Foreign Minister and the office of the Prime Minister, Assistant Ministers and parliamentarians from across the political spectrum.
They spoke about the shock of witnessing a nuclear test, the post-traumatic stress disorder that followed, the oily black mist that coated and poisoned the land, the wide range of mental and physical health impacts, the loss of loved ones far too early, the lack of recognition of suffering, the lack of accountability, the impact of government lies and obfuscation.
They argued that Australia must join the ban to prevent such humanitarian harm from happening again, and also to fulfil the treaty’s obligations under Articles 6 & 7 to provide assistance to victims and remediate impacted environments.
Nuclear survivors are experts on the devastating humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons. Australia’s experience with nuclear weapons testing is a powerful motivation to join the nuclear weapon ban treaty. Joining the treaty will help prevent more people and land from suffering, as well as address historic harms. It’s about the past, the present, and the future.
In 1956, Doug Brooks was eighteen when he was stationed at Monte Bello Islands as a serving member of the Royal Australian Navy. He was onboard HMS Alert when, as part of Operation Mosaic, the G2 98 kiloton nuclear bomb was detonated just ten miles away. He and the rest of the crew were exposed to the full blast of the explosion.
“The 19th of June is the 67th anniversary of my exposure at Monte Bello Islands. I was diagnosed with PTSD in 1991, and the same year I was told that I had an untreatable bone disease. Today, with the help of psychiatric counselling, I manage to cope most of the time and I try not to think of those few months in 1956 when at the age of 18, my view of the world was distorted and changed forever.”
“After all these years of fighting with the government, it comes at an appropriate time. I will never stop fighting to get recognition for these people.”
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the British nuclear testing program at Emu Field in South Australia, and one of the delegates, Karina Lester, a Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman from north-west South Australia, is a second generation nuclear test survivor from these tests. Her late father, Yami Lester, was blinded by the tests at Emu Field, and Karina carries his story as well as her grandmother’s story about the impacts of the tests on her people.
“Our mob were not informed of those tests that were about to take place on our traditional lands,” said Karina. “Consent was never given by Anangu for the Emu Field tests. The Government did not come and ask Anangu if it was okay to test on our traditional lands.”
“First Nations peoples of this Country have been speaking up strong about truth telling, this is our truth telling, about the impacts felt by my people, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, the contamination of our traditional lands, the hurt and pain and suffering still felt to this day. All Australians need to know the truth about what happened on our own soil.”
“We Aboriginal people need to be around the tables to make the decisions, and the nuclear ban treaty is a good opportunity to be part of the solution.”
June Lennon is a Yankunytjatjara, Antikarinya and Pitjantjatjara woman, who was four months old, in October 1953, when the Totem 1 nuclear bomb was detonated at Emu Field. June’s family witnessed the test and have suffered from ill-health ever since.
“The government didn’t tell the truth about the nuclear testing program,” said June “There were so many lies—they didn’t tell people what they were doing. The people who suffered really need an apology and recognition. We need it so we can remember those people we lost, so their names won’t be forgotten.”
Maxine Goodwin is the daughter of an Australian nuclear veteran who became ill as a result of his involvement in the first atomic test in Western Australia. She joined the delegation because she wants to see the government be held accountable for what happened to veterans and their families.
“History has demonstrated that governments have been elusive and unaccountable. They have been less than accountable when it comes to the history of nuclear testing in Australia. Signing the TPNW is a significant step towards addressing the harm experienced by individuals and communities. From my community’s experience, there has been no accountability for the impacts of the nuclear tests on veterans and their families.”
To honour the testimonies of survivors and draw attention to their demands for recognition, respect and repair, supporters in the Parliament took time to meet with survivors and speak out about the need for Australia to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Speaking in the Senate on June 14th, West Australian Greens Senator, Jordon Steele-John said:
“Instruments like the TPNW are an important first step not just in ridding the world of these weapons but also in showing that so many countries, like Australia, are indeed serious about disarmament and are prepared to be leaders that other nations can follow. This treaty, championed, created and collaborated upon by the fantastic ICAN campaign, is an incredible contribution to the world's store of international law and humanitarian practice.
“It is something of which we as a country should be proud, particularly to see that that campaign was the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for their work. It is far past time for the government to sign and ratify the TPNW.”
The Parliamentary Friends of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, co-chaired by Senator Steele-John alongside Josh Wilson MP (Labor), and Russell Broadbent MP (Liberal) hosted a press conference and event with the delegates, releasing this statement acknowledging their “bravery, fortitude, and advocacy” and affirming that “Australia’s timely signature and ratification of the Treaty would be a meaningful contribution to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime at a time when that is urgently needed.”
Australia has a pressing opportunity and grave responsibility to make a meaningful difference to the lives of nuclear survivors, by becoming a state party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ICAN Australia will continue to work alongside survivors who know deeply the long-lasting impacts of nuclear weapons to ensure Australia reconciles the legacy of nuclear weapons testing, and joins the global majority of nations who are in support of their total elimination.
Header photo: Australian Atomic Survivors' Delegation Doug Brookes, Karina Lester, June Lennon and Maxine Goodwin; with representatives from ICAN Australia (Jemila Rushton, Dimity Hawkins, Gem Romuld and Dave Sweeney), and Greens Senators, David Shoebridge (NSW), Dorinda Cox (WA) Janet Rice (VIC) Jordon Steele-John (WA) and Barbara Pocock (SA), Parliament House, Canberra, June 2023. Credit: Jesse Boylan, for header and text photos
[Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not official policy of Greens WA]