“I don’t believe that China represents a military threat to Australia” – Associate Professor Marianne Hanson, Vice-Chair of ICAN Australia – the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons.
“When the sun scorched the earth, a child was being born in the mountain, in a cradle of hard stone that poisoned him.” – Strike The Beast Hard by Ruben Galindo
Why go to war with China when you can buy a perfectly good bicycle from there for $100 and if you have $16 left over you can add a bike rack to carry your groceries home on.
Last Friday on International Human Rights Day, the independent and peaceful Australian Network (IPAN) organized a rally at Brisbane Square. One of the invited speakers was the former Attorney General and Environment Minister Mr Rod Welford who said that the new pact with the United States and the United Kingdom is ‘an election stunt‘.
The photos were taken by Lachlan Hurse and can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/ntcX7Fnukat7WBjCA
Let’s go now to the announcement of the new pact called AUKUS made by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
Scott Morrison (Prime Minister): “Today I announce a new partnership, a new agreement that I describe as a forever partnership, a forever partnership for a new time between the oldest and most trusted friends, forever partnership that will enable Australia to protect our national security interests to keep Australians safe. But I’ve got to say my greatest thanks to my partners in this forever partnership, this AUKUS partnership, to President Joe Biden, and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I introduce them today as great friends of freedom and great friends of Australia. And they truly are. They understand what goes to the heart of our relationship, the security and defence of peace and freedom. That is what is always has sustained us.”
4PR – Voice of the People
That was the Prime Minister of Australia speaking at a nuclear submarine / AUKUS Alliance press conference on the 16th of September 2021. So this podcast is going to summarize the response to that announcement and try to analyze what is going on with it. So let’s go now to the former Labor attorney General and Environment Minister in Queensland, Rod Wellford, when he’s speaking to a crowd on International Human Rights Day in Brisbane square last Friday, on the 10th of December,
Rod Welford – former Qld Attorney General
Friends, one year short of 50 years ago, on the second of December 1972, Australians elected a government that took the first tentative steps to building this nation to be a proud, peaceful and independent nation in the world. It was the essence of those three years of Whitlam government that brought us into a more international footing. We recognize China for the first time in our short history, the position that the Australian government has put us in is effectively to say that Australia should be on a war footing with China. It is an election stunt. And there’ll be plenty more election stunts like this, designed to play to the fears of the Australian people in the months ahead in the run up to next year’s Federal election. It’s our job, today, to encourage Australians, to help Australians see through that cynicism. And when they go to the ballot box next year. See that the only way to change Australia and to change the world towards a peaceful path is to re-establish Australia as an independent and a peaceful nation. And we will only do that if we change the government next year.
4PR – Voice of the People
Mr. Welford, who was a minister in the Beattie and Bligh Labor governments in Queensland made no mention of successive Australian Labour government’s lack of independence from the United States. Labor governments’ willingly supported Indonesian invasion of East Timor. The Hawk Labor government supported Australian involvement in the first Gulf war against Iraq in 1991. And Labor supported for murderous war in Afghanistan where war crimes were committed and (finally) Labor’s opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, threw his support behind the AUKUS / submarine deal, saying ‘a close relationship with the US is among the three pillars of a labour government’s future foreign policy‘.
Does Mr. Wellford ‘s opposition to AUKUS and to the purchase of the nuclear submarines, does that place him at odds with his own party over the US Alliance and over the purchase of these attack class submarines?
Union Choir sings
“You are not my enemy these governments do not speak for me. And I am one just one of many who wish you well.”
4PR – Voice of the People
That was the union choir singing at the anti-AUKUS and anti-nuclear sub rally last Friday. The next speaker was Kristen Perissinotto, the media officer of the electrical trades union, and she spoke about workers rights and conditions, the impact of war on climate, (impact) on First Nations people, and on refugees and people seeking asylum. Ms Perissinotto made a simple comparison of the cost of nuclear submarines, and that women’s safety, of refugees and creating jobs for workers. Let’s go to her now.
Kristin Perissinotto ETU
So speaking, of course, I know the coalition are all about the economy. So I’ll speak their language, one nuclear submarine will cost $20 billion to build, estimated, and (its) estimated our entire cost will be $100 billion. So I thought it would be fun to compare that to some of the spendings that the LNP have committed to in the 2021 budget. And the first one, an issue close to my heart, is the spend on women’s safety. So this was Scott Morrison’s alleged women’s budget in 2021. And he’s putting aside $1.1 billion for women’s safety. That’s $86 per Australian woman. And it’s also 1%, or less than 1% of the entire cost of the estimate for all of our nuclear submarines.
Kristin Perissinotto ETU
So the Liberals go on about how good they are for the economy, but they’ve only pledged $3 billion for new jobs. And I’m no economic expert, but I do know that people need a secure job in order to contribute meaningfully to the economy and continue to do so into eternity. So 3% of what we’re going to be spending on nuclear submarines will be spent on jobs.
Kristin Perissinotto ETU
$0 was pledged for supporting refugees and people seeking asylum, although a shitload more was pledged for keeping them out of this country. Even though like I said, with Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan war, and all of our partnerships across the world, we have a lot on our hands when it comes to some of those refugees, and yet nothing spent on supporting refugees and people seeking asylum. So obviously, that is 0% of the price the we’re going to be spending on nuclear submarines.
Kristin Perissinotto ETU
And finally, the coalition’s investment in climate action, the LNP allocated $30 million for one renewable project in the Northern Territory, nothing for just transition to workers for workers, which is what something we desperately need nothing towards a clean recovery from COVID. And nothing towards a genuine effort to decarbonize. That is less than 0.1% of the cost of just one submarine spent on our climate.
4PR – Voice of the People
That was Kristin Perissinotto from the electrical trade union speaking at the rally. Next up was a spokesperson from the International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons, Marianne Hanson, and she warned the rally last Friday against the acquisition of nuclear powered submarines.
Marianne Hanson (ICAN)
Here’s one of the key problems. To date, no country which doesn’t have nuclear weapons, there are nine states that have nuclear weapons … apart from those states, no country in the world has been given this technology, nuclear powered submarines. We are therefore going to break this taboo. And if it does go ahead, this will set a very dangerous precedent.
4PR – Voice of the People
Ms Hanson told the rally that other states are trying to copy Australia and get access to the nuclear submarine technology.
Marianne Hanson (ICAN)
Already, we have other states in the world saying well if Australia is going to be given this technology and is permitted to go ahead and use what is highly enriched uranium in their submarines; now, the highly enriched uranium which will power the submarines is exactly the same material that is used in nuclear bombs. Uranium which has been enriched to 95 – 96%. It can be converted into weapons very, very quickly. And that’s the problem.
Marianne Hanson (ICAN)
Already Iran has out as I say other states, South Korea, even Canada sought to have this kind of exemption and all these states have been denied. Suddenly, in AUKUS, Australia is given this technology or were promised to have this technology So there are big problems here, for our reputation and presenting a very, very risky precedent.
Marianne Hanson (ICAN)
Now, the nine states that have these weapons have promised to eliminate them, but they are not living up to their promises. And that is why I can respond, the International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons … we managed to get a treaty in the United Nations. Our organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts. Of course, the government didn’t even bother to phone any of us to say congratulations.
4PR – Voice of the People
After we marched across to Southbank, Marianne Hanson pointed out to the protesters that Q super, the Queensland superannuation fund for most of the public servants, is very much involved in the nuclear industry, and that people should write to that organization and say that it should divest from all of the nuclear companies that it is involved with. So that leaves us till the end of the rally, there was a resolution put to the rally that we should not support the purchase of the submarines and that we should be getting out of AUKUS, this AUKUS pact that the federal government is putting, and this is the response by the Department of Defense in regard of the concerns put forward by Ms. Marianne Hanson at the rally. And by her organization, ICAN.
Defence Dept Spokesperson
AUKUS … offers great opportunities for defense to keep that capability edge in new and different ways, moving into the future. Prime Minister, in terms of the nuclear powered submarine venture, we will over the next 12 to 18 months, undertake that detailed work with US and UK partners. I know we we’ve been directed by government to absolutely maintain the highest standards of safety and security when it comes to the development of a nuclear capability …. that is important for the Australian people Prime Minister but it’s also important for our people who will operate these capabilities for decades to come. So I reassure you and the government and the Australian people of Defence’s absolute commitment to the highest international standards of nuclear safety and security.
4PR – Voice of the People
Similar assurances were given when Malcolm Fraser and the Hawk governments both decided that Australia needed to have a uranium industry and to enter the nuclear fuel cycle. And of course, Australian uranium ended up in some meltdowns in both Chernobyl and Fukushima, despite all the assurances given at the time about the high standards of safety that would be used. Finally, Janette McLeod put two resolutions to the rally. Jeanette McLeod is from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Here are the resolutions:
Janette McLeod WILPF
So the first resolution that we’ll put today is around the Brisbane City Council. As people probably know, the Brisbane City Council has had for a long time, with a bit of a gap in the middle, a nuclear free zone policy. And that policy is still in existence. So that’s, that’s the first thing. And then the second thing is that even though there’s this in Brisbane, there is nothing at the state government level regarding being nuclear free, which is, you know, pretty absurd. So, let’s put up a show of hands to say, Brisbane City Council, please actually actively keep your pot nuclear free policy, make sure that it’s actually implemented. Let’s not let any nuclear subs sneak up the Brisbane River. And further the state government, could you introduce a nuclear free policy for the whole of Queensland because that’s what we need. So let’s have a show of hands. Great
4PR – Voice of the People
So there we have it, an Australian government that’s hell bent on testing its relationship with biggest northern neighbor, China. Of course it takes some degree of insanity to test that relationship when Australia is at the economic mercy of the Chinese government. Just about every major manufactured good that we acquire here in Australia is manufactured in China. And also so many of our natural resources are traded with China. And so to enter into a military confrontation over the South China Sea where, it would seem to me , the main objective of the Chinese is to have access to the shipping routes and the shipping lanes that it’s huge trade services. So to try to to prevent them from doing that by concocting some kind of relationship with Taiwan doesn’t really make much sense at all. So this is Ian Curr signing off from 4PR – voice of the People let’s go out with a song. This is PEGALE DURO AL FIERO or Strike the Beast Hard
Frontera (Sue Monk, Sergio Aldunate, Lachlan Hurse and others)
Frontera (Sue Monk, Sergio Aldunate, Lachlan Hurse and others)
Translated from the Spanish …. When the sun scorched the earth a child was being born in the mountain, in a cradle of hard stone that poisoned him. – Strike The Beast Hard Words and music: Ruben Galindo Original arrangement: Grupo Moncada
Frontera (Sue Monk, Sergio Aldunate, Lachlan Hurse and others)
When the sun scorched the earth a child was being born in the mountain, in a cradle or hard stone that poisoned him.
He opened his eyes to the world and saw nothing but misery, he touched the cruellest inferno where the fire attacked him; he grew up among the brambles where the smoke was like grape-shot.
He rises up above the Andes with his warrior’s poncho seeking a path, a path that he desired, that he wanted as a child; he never complained about being American by blood, sowing his determination and with his hands pulling out the spur of evil.
Strike the beast hard because if you don’t it will leave you hunger; strike it because they’ll kill you and they’ll cover you with earth, sing your thousand songs and set out walking with your wounds, and together we’ll go to the forest to sing, then, to life.
They’ve given you very little bread for the sweat which you burned, you spent your whole life extracting riches for the beast; it’s not time for fear because the sun’s gone bad, the sky’s covered over with terror and the fire’s sputtering out.
Now you’ve found the road that the light gave to your life, raise the child who follows you and teach him to sing, teach him that man has a lot of struggling to do, put your cope over him and set him on the road to struggle, jump from the Andes and shout over the earth.
SPEAKERS
Scott Morrison (Prime Minister), Marianne Hanson (ICAN), Janette McLeod WILPF, Rod Welford – former Qld Attorney General, Kristin Perissinotto ETU, Union Choir, Frontera (Sue Monk, Sergio Aldunate, Lachlan Hurse and others), 4PR – Voice of the People, Defence Dept Spokesperson