TPNW
This is, perhaps, the very first instance of a "developed country" electing a head who had publicly taken a stand on the side of the TPNW.

That's a momentous development, one earnestly hopes.

Australia has just elected a centre-left Labour government, after almost a decade of conservative rule. This has very positive implications for anti- Nuke campaigners to bring Australia on board the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has been a vocal supporter of the TPNW. In 2018, he initiated a resolution at Labour’s national conference committing the party to sign and ratify the treaty in government.

The Labour party won the greatest number of seats in the lower house of the parliament. Around 80% of its federal parliamentarians, including Albanese, have signed ICAN’s parliamentary pledge.

Anti-Nuke campaigners are confident that Australia will participate in the first Meeting of States Parties in Vienna (as an observer), although no decision has been taken as yet.

It remains unclear how long it might take for the new government to act on its pre-election commitment to sign and ratify the TPNW!
Sukla Sen

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Frontier
Vol 54, No. 52, Jun 26 - Jul 2, 2022