“Who is against peace?”

OPINION 

BY CR BELINDA COATES

CITY OF BALLARAT DEPUTY-MAYOR

IT was extremely disappointing to have the majority of City of Ballarat councillors vote against a straightforward notice of motion at last week’s council meeting.

My motion to endorse the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, Nobel Peace Prize winning campaign was voted against by a majority of Councillors. As a result of this vote, community members have rightly asked me “why do they support nuclear weapons?” and “who is against peace?”

Endorsing the campaign would have only required a council letter to the Australian Government asking them to sign and ratify the Anti-Nuclear Weapons Treaty.

Despite being such a simple request, only councillors Daniel Moloney and Mark Harris supported the motion along with me. Councillors Grant Tillet, Amy Johnson, Jim Rinaldi, Samantha McIntosh, Des Hudson and Ben Taylor all voted against.

The recent Choosing Humanity Report sets out why it is in Australia’s interest to join the treaty, documenting the public support and political momentum behind this goal.

Australia has yet to sign this landmark treaty, and support for it from local to global is more important than ever. Cities and towns have a crucial role to play in raising awareness and building support for the treaty across Australia and the world.

Reducing global threat from the devastating impacts of nuclear weapons and depleted uranium is clearly in everyone’s interest. Thirty-one councils from across Australia have spoken out and formally endorsed ICAN’s appeal.

ICAN campaign members as well as Ballarat community supporters had been requesting the support of Ballarat council for around two years. Local community groups that provided submissions of support to council included Ballarat Interfaith Network and Compassionate Ballarat.

Other local supporters include Ballarat Trades Hall and local MPs. On Wednesday night councillors heard directly from ICAN founder and Nobel peace prize recipient Dr Margaret Beavis as well as Interfaith Network members.

Speakers implored Councillors to show solidarity with Ballarat’s Sister city of Inagawa in Japan which is a signatory to the Mayors for Peace anti-nuclear movement. They also referred to the Compassionate Cities Charter, of which Ballarat Council is a signatory, and their support for cities taking an anti-nuclear weapons stance.

When Councillors expose their unwillingness to listen to a reasonable community request or to listen to simple logic in this way, it comes across as mean spirited and tone deaf at best.

As one community member put it, “that’s not really reading the room.”