(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
REPORTER: What do you hope to accomplish today
with the Prime Minister?
DONALD TRUMP: It's great to have the Prime Minister of Australia.
A lot of friends over there. And this is one of them right here.
In about a year from now
we'll have so much critical minerals and rare earths
that you won't know what to do with them.
ANGUS GRIGG: These once obscure minerals are now highly coveted.
Increasing the security for the region and the world,
to take our relationship to that next level.
So, thank you very much, Mr President.
Well, thank you very much, Anthony. It's an honour to sign this.
Well, thank you very much, Anthony. With deep reserves,
Australia has become With deep reserves,
Australia has become a global player.
IAN SATCHWELL: Well, Australia probably has
the widest range of critical minerals on the planet.
DONALD TRUMP: We're really working on anything having to do
with military ships, vehicles, guns, ammunition, everything.
The US needs these minerals to power its economy and its military.
But there's just one problem.
China controls the market.
While the rest of the world slept,
China built While the rest of the world slept,
China built end-to-end supply chains.
China built Make no mistake,
this is China versus the world.
You might think this is China versus the world.
You might think we're all in with America...
..but we've discovered Australia is supplying China
with a mineral critical for its most advanced weaponry.
This basin north of Perth contains key minerals
for hypersonic missiles and nuclear technology.
DAVID KILCULLEN: It's really important for us to have
an understanding of where our minerals go.
an understanding At the same time
we're spending billions arming ourselves against China.
JENNIFER PARKER: The chances of conflict in this region
JENNIFER PARKER: The chances are increasingly likely.
That means Australia is potentially targeted.
In fact, likely targeted.
CHINESE COMMENTATOR: The Dongfeng-5C can strike any target
CHINESE COMMENTATOR: The Dongfeng-5C around the world.
DAVID KILCULLEN: The build-up of Chinese nuclear weapons
is a pace and scale that we've never seen.
is a pace and scale And, if hostilities go nuclear,
Australian minerals And, if hostilities go nuclear,
Australian minerals will have once again played a part.
Australian minerals JENNIFER PARKER: We need to look at
how does our economic and our trade policy
support our security strategy.
And we need to ask a lot of hard questions.
Would China target those bases in the event of a conflict?
If there is a war,
definitely.
In WA's remote north-west
the Indian Ocean collides with this ancient landscape.
Once a Cold War outpost,
the North West Cape is now more than ever prized for its strategic value.
We've come to RAAF Base Learmonth
1,200km north of Perth.
GREG PORCHE: This was a bare base.
Normally bare bases GREG PORCHE: This was a bare base.
Normally bare bases don't have people.
They'll have a caretaker and that's about it.
It's quiet right now, but that's changing.
The Australian government is spending $880 million
The Australian government to make this base battle-ready.
What's going to happen is they're going to upgrade the taxiway
so it's used as an alternate main runway.
Showing us around is Wing Commander Greg Porche.
So, in effect, you'll have two runways here.
So, in effect, In effect, yes.
We can actually launch aircraft, refuel them.
We can actually launch aircraft, That extends the range,
and therefore we can operate further north
than what we would normally do.
And that's what they mean by holding an adversary at length.
What is it that's so strategic about this location?
Basically, it's right in the north-west.
So, if you look at the map and you tilt it sideways or on an angle,
what you'll end up doing is looking out across Indonesia,
up into the South China Sea, China, that area,
that's the location of it.
Is there a sense of urgency around upgrading this base?
I believe so, yes.
These bases haven't had a lot of work done on them
These bases haven't had in the last 35 years.
It's a matter of bringing them up to speed, in the last 35 years.
It's a matter of bringing them up to speed,
making them contemporary in order to operate the platforms we need.
making them contemporary in order And is it a case that once again,
just like in World War II,
this is now the front line?
Yeah, it is very much the front line.
Yeah, We've operated in Afghanistan,
we've operated in Iraq,
multiple places around the world.
This is about the homeland.
As we discover,
defending the homeland requires plenty of fuel.
And you'll see the blast walls down there as well.
And you'll see the blast walls Yep.
And then you can see the fuel farm Yep.
And then you can see the fuel farm in the distance.
Fuel is the bloodline of the air base.
If we don't have fuel on the base, we don't operate.
This base is just one part
of the deepening alliance This base is just one part
of the deepening alliance with the United States.
of the deepening alliance US defence documents
show the Americans want their own massive fuel farm here.
Its capacity would be 500,000 barrels of jet fuel.
That's 40 times bigger than the current stockpile.
We see advantage
in the US being anchored We see advantage
in the US being anchored in the Indo-Pacific region
as a balancing weight against other forces in the region.
Historically, we've enjoyed
a 10-year warning time to conflict.
We now assess that that warning time has evaporated
and that we need to be ready sooner than that.
To understand how...
Learmonth is one of five bases being upgraded across northern Australia.
This redevelopment of bases, ports and barracks,
costing up to $18 billion,
is designed to counter the growing threat from China.
So, Angus, this is our network of northern bases.
They stretch from Learmonth across in Western Australia,
They stretch from Learmonth to Curtin up near Derby.
We've obviously got Darwin and Tindal,
which is one of our main operating bases
that accommodate the F-35 and also our MQ-4 Tritons.
If they're under attack,
then we need to be able to manoeuvre our forces
across this network of northern bases
so that we can survive.
The Vice Chief of Defence, Air Marshal Rob Chipman,
wants Australians to know the risk of a major conflict is real and growing.
You can see how close China really is.
And I guess you're directly up into the South China Sea,
which is the sort of area of potential conflict, right?
It's certainly an area that we think very deeply about.
What Australia offers is strategic geography,
a place that the US can base its forces
and project firepower into the region.
If the US ever goes to war with China,
Australia will have little choice but to support our long-time ally.
Two months ago
the world got a taste of how that war might be fought.
(MILITARY MUSIC AND SINGING)
VICTOR GAU: If you want to defend peace,
you need to be able to have one single, seamless killing machine.
Is this the hypersonic?
JENNIFER PARKER: So, this is a hypersonic missile.
We're seeing a huge military build-up in China
and the use of those military capabilities
and the use to bully areas in the region.
See the range of nuclear missiles on display.
We are entering a period
where conflict is increasingly likely.
where conflict Potentially conflict over Taiwan.
But there are other flashpoints Potentially conflict over Taiwan.
But there are other flashpoints in our region.
And what that means for Australia But there are other flashpoints in our region.
And what that means for Australia
is, for the first time since World War II,
Australia is potentially targeted, in fact, likely targeted
in the event of a conflict. in fact, likely targeted
in the event of a conflict.
I think anyone who's been watching the...
Jennifer Parker is a former operations director
for coalition forces in the Middle East.
for coalition forces She tells us this is the first time
we've seen China's new arsenal of hypersonic missiles.
This is a road-mobile hypersonic missile.
If one was placed in the South China Sea,
it could probably just reach the tip of Australia.
But, being a road-mobile hypersonic missile,
it means it's hard to target, hard to find where it is
it means it's hard to target, and hard to take it out.
What are we looking at here?
So, what we're looking at here is actually really significant.
It is the demonstration of the nuclear triad.
So, we've thought for a while
that China had the ability to launch nuclear weapons
from land, subsurface and from the air.
But, actually, what we saw in front of us
is the first demonstration of all of that together
and really the first confirmation from China
and really that they have that ability.
Whilst China doesn't have the amount of nuclear warheads
anywhere near that the US has or Russia,
the number of different delivery systems is phenomenal.
DAVID KILCULLEN: All Western countries
are a little bit behind the curve
given the massive military build-up, including nuclear build-up, are a little bit behind the curve
given the massive military build-up, including nuclear build-up,
that the Chinese have been engaging in.
And that doesn't mean we need to be aggressive,
but it means we need to be realistic about the nature of the threat.
Happening at the same time as this global military build-up
Happening at the same time is a shadow race for raw materials.
In this race China is miles ahead,
and it's not just because In this race China is miles ahead,
and it's not just because Beijing has greater mineral reserves.
As we've discovered, Australia supplies China with one key commodity
vital for building hypersonic missiles, fighter jets
and nuclear-powered submarines.
IAN SATCHWELL: From a strategic perspective,
IAN SATCHWELL: critical minerals are really vital.
The demand for them is rising.
But for so many
China controls the market.
While the rest of the world slept,
China built end-to-end supply chains.
The rest of the world has woken up now.
This vast expanse of mineral sands north of Perth is rich in zirconium,
an element vital to China's military build-up.
Australia has the world's largest reserves,
Australia has the world's but China dominates processing.
Well, we're in the middle of one of the world's largest fields
Well, we're in the middle for heavy mineral sands.
We've come to meet Adjunct Professor Ian Satchwell,
one of Australia's leading authorities on critical minerals.
What's the significance of this area?
Heavy mineral sands, generally, have come out of volcanoes, What's the significance of this area?
Heavy mineral sands, generally, have come out of volcanoes,
been worn down into sand,
stirred by the sea and the tides over many, many millions of years
stirred by the sea and the tides and not degraded.
So, they are very robust minerals.
Zirconium has a wide, wide range So, they are very robust minerals.
Zirconium has a wide, wide range of uses,
everything from whitening our bathroom tiles
and our basins and toilets
through to sheathing and our basins and toilets
through to sheathing nuclear fuel rods.
China needs zirconium,
and lots of it.
With a melting point of more than 1,800 degrees,
it's used in the protective coating for hypersonic missiles
that travel at more than five times the speed of sound.
It's also a vital ingredient in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Zircon exists in some places in abundance,
Zircon exists particularly in Australia,
but in other places like China
they have very little or none of it.
Beijing clearly understands its strategic weakness.
A study in May from China's National University of Defense Technology,
A study in May from China's National a research arm of the PLA,
spells out how vital zirconium is.
It outlines zirconium's increasingly spells out how vital zirconium is.
It outlines zirconium's increasingly important role in new weapon systems,
including hypersonic technology, aerospace vehicles
including hypersonic technology, and nuclear reactors.
The paper warns that China faces severe challenges
securing all the zirconium it needs.
China did understand a strategic value of these minerals.
China was getting very strategic about commodities back in the 1990s.
Their companies have been encouraged to go overseas and find resources. China was getting very strategic about commodities back in the 1990s.
Their companies have been encouraged to go overseas and find resources.
China has put this strategy into action.
Just two hours north of the Perth CBD
is where a Chinese company with deep links to Beijing's defence industry
purchased a stake in the ASX-listed Image Resources.
Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board waved through the deal in 2015.
If that deal was put forward today, would it be approved?
It would certainly have much more rigorous scrutiny from FIRB.
Australia has recently tightened up its FIRB oversight It would certainly have much more rigorous scrutiny from FIRB.
Australia has recently tightened up its FIRB oversight
of investment,
and a number of Chinese investments have been refused or modified.
The largest shareholder in Image Resources is China's LB Group,
which is also the major buyer of its mineral sands via a subsidiary.
It's just gone under the radar.
Academic Vlado Vivoda studies the shifting geopolitics
around critical minerals.
It would be very difficult to argue
that there is no state intervention
and some sort of a control or leverage over these entities,
even though they're, on paper, fully private.
The level of state intervention
is revealed in LB Group's The level of state intervention
is revealed in LB Group's Chinese company filings.
Looking through the LB Group annual report,
there's 11 pages detailing all the subsidies and assistance it gets.
Now, I spent six years as a correspondent in China,
Now, I spent six years and I've never seen this before,
and it really shows how closely connected
this company is to the Chinese government.
Its annual report shows
LB Group enjoys a tax rate Its annual report shows
LB Group enjoys a tax rate of just 15% in China,
a generous discount due to its status as a strategic enterprise.
It received grants for its production of nuclear-grade zirconium
and special funds for its strategic innovation.
Last year it reported $85 million in Chinese government assistance.
China puts massive amounts of money
into research and development in the critical minerals,
into research and development particularly if there is a need
for defence and military applications
where it could give China a... you know, a level-up
in terms of its strategic competition with the United States.
In China it's standard practice
for civilian industry to be harnessed for military use.
DAVID KILCULLEN: China has the military-civil fusion doctrine,
which has been around for about 10 years, DAVID KILCULLEN: China has the military-civil fusion doctrine,
which has been around for about 10 years,
which has been around which puts commercial companies
and commercial tech development
under the control of the military.
David Kilcullen is a military strategist
and former adviser to the US Secretary of State.
Do you think you can separate China's civilian nuclear program
and its military nuclear program?
I would say that basically everything now,
not only in nuclear technology but writ large,
is dual use.
And that's particularly true of nuclear capability.
Big Chinese companies have not only a Communist Party branch,
but in many cases a Chinese people's militia branch.
They are under very strict control by the Chinese Communist Party.
And, of course, unlike a commercial firm
And, of course, in the United States or Australia,
the difference between a Chinese commercial firm
the difference between and a government-owned enterprise
is basically one phone call.
Image Resources is a smaller, more nimble company
than perhaps some of our competitors at this time.
Image Resources doesn't hide
the potential military applications for its minerals.
Its latest annual report
states zirconium can be used in nuclear energy,
jet engines, rockets and hypersonic vehicles.
It's the newer, higher-end uses of these materials
that are making the demand grow even higher.
In a 2017 interview
Image Resources CEO Patrick Mutz
talked up zirconium's use in China's nuclear industry.
He said a related company
was one of the few in China licensed to produce nuclear-grade zirconium
was one of the few in China licensed for nuclear reactors.
Mr Mutz declined an on-camera interview.
Mr Mutz declined In a statement
he did not address the possible military uses
for the company's mineral sands,
saying it sold small quantities
to customers who further processed it "for use in everyday products
"such as paint, pigments and floor tiles."
He said the company meets its government requirements
and its mineral sands are covered by export permits.
I think it's really important
for us to have an understanding of where our minerals go.
And there are conflict minerals agreements
about a number of different commodities,
and I think it's appropriate to be applying those
to things that might be used for nuclear or missile production.
It would be something that any Australian government
would want to be tracking pretty closely.
would want to be tracking (MISSILE WHOOSHES)
(EXPLOSION)
Australian zirconium isn't just going to China.
(EXPLOSION)
Our research suggests it could be helping Vladimir Putin's war machine.
Our research suggests it could be (MISSILES WHOOSH)
(EXPLOSION)
(ALARMS BLARE)
(EXPLOSION)
The year Russia invaded Ukraine,
from China surged more than 300%.
its imports of zirconium from China surged more than 300%.
LB Group, the largest shareholder in Australia's Image Resources,
LB Group, the largest shareholder is a key player in this trade.
In one 12-month period
it sold more than $5 million worth of zirconium to Russia.
We need to look at how does our economic and our trade policy
We need to look at how does support our security strategy?
And in that
we need to ask a lot of hard questions
about what we are trading, who we're trading it with,
what does that mean for their capability
and what does that mean for vulnerabilities for us?
Trade data shows the biggest buyer of Chinese zirconium in Russia
is manufacturing giant CMP.
It's an arm of Russia's state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom.
CMP produces the cladding for nuclear fuel rods
and the alloys in hypersonic missiles -
the weapons changing how modern wars are fought.
DAVID KILCULLEN: Hypersonic, by definition,
is faster than Mach 5, right?
So, faster than five times the speed of sound.
But it's manoeuvring hypersonic missiles
But it's manoeuvring that can evade defensive systems
that are the real sort of gold standard now,
what are sometimes called carrier killer missiles
what are sometimes called that are able to, you know,
penetrate the defences of a fleet,
get in and sink a major ship.
(MISSILE WHOOSHES)
JENNIFER PARKER: In terms of missiles and delivery vehicles,
the US is only really now fielding hypersonic weapons
for their navy and their army right now and their air force soon,
so, they are at least five years behind.
(EXPLOSION)
(SIREN WAILS)
The war in Ukraine
is the first time these hypersonic weapons have been used in combat.
Last year
Russia used its hypersonic missile, dubbed 'The Zircon',
Russia used its hypersonic missile, against civilian targets.
Defence Minister Richard Marles
understands the military uses of zirconium.
He doesn't think tighter controls on Russia and China are the answer.
Well, there are challenges in this space.
Well, there are challenges I very much accept that.
There are other sources of zirconium from around the world I very much accept that.
There are other sources of zirconium from around the world
such that Australia withdrawing from the zirconium market
such that Australia withdrawing would not mean
that the military use of zirconium would also stop.
that the military use of zirconium We've discovered that zirconium
is being re-exported from China to Russia
is being re-exported from China and is most likely being used
as part of Vladimir Putin's and is most likely being used
as part of Vladimir Putin's war effort against Ukraine.
as part of Vladimir Putin's Does that concern you?
Well, I mean, I come back to the point that I've made earlier,
I don't for a moment think
that an Australian withdrawal from this market
that an Australian withdrawal would stop any country
from developing would stop any country
from developing their military capability.
Doesn't it show, though, that Australia's sort of economic policy
and its security policy in this instance
are working at cross purposes?
No, but it does show that there's a complexity here, for sure.
We do engage with China in terms of trade and commerce.
There are thousands upon thousands of jobs in our economy
which are based upon that.
And that has really been very important
in terms of Australia's economic growth for decades.
So, you know, you can't divorce yourself from that reality.
Ultimately, at the heart of the question that you're asking
Ultimately, at the heart is the fact that, you know,
China is our largest trading partner is the fact that, you know,
China is our largest trading partner on the one hand
and it is our biggest source of security and anxiety on the other.
And that's just... that is the way the world is.
Beijing's Chang'An Avenue - the Avenue of Eternal Peace -
divides Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
divides Tiananmen Square (MILITARY MUSIC AND SINGING)
CHINESE COMMENTATOR: Now coming to us
is the second nuclear missiles formation.
The Dongfeng-5C...
It's where China's Communist Party
recently unveiled its growing arsenal of nuclear weapons.
..can strike any target around the world
..can strike any target with its extensive shooting range.
For years Australia supplied uranium to China.
After record exports in 2017,
trade data shows shipments suddenly ceased a year later.
It was around this time China stopped reporting key details
about its stockpile of nuclear material.
But it's not just uranium that China needs.
Any country seeking to expand its nuclear arsenal also needs zirconium,
which is used in reactors to clad nuclear fuel rods.
JENNIFER PARKER: We've seen a doubling
of China's nuclear warheads,
so, from about 300, or just under, five years ago to about 600 now. of China's nuclear warheads,
so, from about 300, or just under, five years ago to about 600 now.
The estimate is it's going to be about 1,000 by 2030.
Their breadth of capabilities
to employ those nuclear weapons
is actually much broader than the US.
The build-up of Chinese nuclear weapons over the last five years is actually much broader than the US.
The build-up of Chinese nuclear weapons over the last five years
The build-up of Chinese nuclear is a pace and scale
that we've never seen.
Just having those nuclear weapons
creates a significant effective deterrent for China
as it's building up its conventional forces.
China doesn't like to talk about its nuclear weapons program.
What the world DOES know is partly thanks to this man.
DECKER EVELETH: We had seen some indications
that they were planning for some sort of major expansion,
and we had heard rumours and some talk
and we had heard about the scale of that expansion.
In 2021
Decker Eveleth began searching for China's rumoured nuclear sites.
You're talking about thousands of square kilometres of terrain
You're talking about thousands to look through.
After more than 100 hours of scouring satellite imagery
he uncovered a field of nuclear silos -
the infrastructure for launching intercontinental ballistic missiles,
the infrastructure for launching or ICBMs.
Other US researchers later found two more silo fields.
Combined, we're talking about
320 solid fuel nuclear missile sites
spread across three different missile fields,
and that alone represents
about a five-fold increase
in the number of nuclear ICBMs China was fielding at the time.
China believes that ambiguity
is a deterrence mechanism that can work very effectively
by basically obfuscating the exact number
of launchers, missiles, platforms that they have.
Professor Wang Yiwei is a former diplomat,
now with the School of International Studies
at the People's University in Beijing.
He says China's nuclear weapons build-up
is a response to US aggression.
Why does China not talk about its nuclear program?
Doesn't that add to the risk of miscalculation or destabilisation?
Decker Eveleth's findings
clearly show the world is now dealing with three major nuclear powers.
Now we are in a world in which we have three major nuclear states.
There are a lot of dangerous, unanswered questions
There are a lot about how this is all going to work.
Deterring in a multi-actor about how this is all going to work.
Deterring in a multi-actor environment is completely different,
much more complicated, much more dynamic and nonlinear
than just a straight-up mutual-assured destruction.
It's rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal.
China is also working to further its effort
to undermine American influence and alliances around the world.
to undermine American influence And we cannot let them succeed.
Decker Eveleth, who works for CNA - the US Navy's research body -
says America is moving to counter China's nuclear expansion.
The United States is investing in a sea-launched nuclear cruise missile
to put aboard some of our nuclear submarines.
Could they be deployed on the Virginia-class submarines
that we will see rotating through Australia?
Sorry, I am hesitating for some information-quarantine reasons.
I know the answer, I'm just... I'm just making sure.
Yeah. OK.
I'll ask you that again.
The nuclear cruise missiles,
could they be deployed The nuclear cruise missiles,
could they be deployed on the Virginia-class submarines
that we will see rotating through Australia?
that we will see Yes, absolutely.
If US submarines visit Australia,
they may or may not be carrying nuclear weapons.
Defence Minister Richard Marles
says Australia respects the long-standing US position
says Australia respects of neither confirming nor denying
the presence of nuclear weapons
on its ships or aircraft.
Australia's alliance with the US is meant to protect us,
but if a regional conflict goes nuclear,
then Australia could become a target.
If it escalates to a nuclear exchange,
there are all kinds of sites in Australia
that would be on an adversary's nuclear target list.
Tindal and Darwin would potentially be on that target list.
Tindal and Darwin would potentially So would Pine Gap.
Nuclear-armed submarines in port in Western Australia -
for sure that would be a potential target as well.
Would China target those bases in the event of a conflict?
Ready for take-off.
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
Copy that. We'll be descending to one-six.
We're gonna enter from the east at one-six.
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
As the risk of nuclear conflict grows,
the global arms control regime is breaking down.
the global arms control regime 6.1.
JENNIFER PARKER: There are no real effective nuclear arms control
agreements, discussions between China and the US, JENNIFER PARKER: There are no real effective nuclear arms control
agreements, discussions between China and the US,
agreements, discussions and part of that is because
China won't really come to the table and part of that is because
China won't really come to the table on talks
until they see themselves on par in terms of number of nuclear warheads
until they see themselves on par in with the US.
That is deeply concerning.
TILMAN RUFF: On several occasions
the world has come perilously close to nuclear war.
The US alone has threatened to use nuclear weapons
The US alone has threatened on at least 25 occasions...
Melbourne physician Tilman Ruff and his colleagues
won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017
for spearheading a global campaign to ban nuclear weapons.
for spearheading a global campaign No nuclear-armed state is disarming.
Instead, all nine No nuclear-armed state is disarming.
Instead, all nine are investing massively
in modernising their nuclear arsenals...
Their campaign paved the way
for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
for the Treaty on the Prohibition known as the Ban Treaty.
It's been signed by 95 countries.
..130 million deaths.
In 2018 Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles publicly endorsed that treaty
In 2018 Anthony Albanese and Richard at the ALP's National Conference.
This is a Nobel Peace Prize...
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
..awarded to an organisation
made up of activists concerned ..awarded to an organisation
made up of activists concerned about our place in the world.
made up of activists concerned (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
TILMAN RUFF: So, Labor took an important step
at its National Conference in 2018 in Adelaide.
Labor and government will sign and ratify
the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
the UN Treaty on the Prohibition (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
This resolution (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
This resolution is Labor at our best.
TILMAN RUFF: Championed by the current prime minister, Mr Albanese,
Labor enshrined in its national policy platform TILMAN RUFF: Championed by the current prime minister, Mr Albanese,
Labor enshrined in its national policy platform
a commitment to in government sign and ratify
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Richard Marles stood up to second that motion.
We have today before this conference
a resolution that we can all agree upon.
We can all agree on the aim of the Ban Treaty
to remove nuclear weapons from the world.
to remove nuclear weapons Six months into its second term
the Albanese government Six months into its second term
the Albanese government still hasn't signed the Ban Treaty.
In 2018
the ALP National Conference agreed
to sign or adopt the ALP National Conference agreed
to sign or adopt the nuclear weapons Ban Treaty.
to sign or adopt Why has that not happened?
Well, we have been consistent with our position
Well, we have been consistent in relation to this.
The... I mean, that is a decision of government,
and government has been consistent in terms of its position
and government has been consistent in respect of that treaty.
You said you were going to sign the treaty and you haven't done it.
You said you were going to sign (STAMMERS)
What's really clear (STAMMERS)
What's really clear is that the conference understands
that this is a decision of government,
and that is...and that is a decision of Labor in government,
and the decision that Labor has made in government
has been to follow the Non-Proliferation Treaty,
and the NPT is at the core of Labor and government's policy.
Today we have an opportunity...
The NPT, or Non-Proliferation Treaty, is something entirely different.
It seeks to limit the number of nuclear-armed states,
It seeks to limit not ban nuclear weapons.
It's been Labor policy for more than 50 years.
I don't argue that this is easy. I don't argue that it's simple.
But I do argue that it's just.
I commend the resolution.
Anthony Albanese stood outside Parliament
and campaigned very fiercely in opposition
and campaigned very fiercely for support of that treaty.
Surely that's a broken for support of that treaty.
Surely that's a broken election promise.
Surely that's a broken It's definitely not.
(CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK)
If Labor had signed the Ban Treaty,
Australia would be the first nation
under America's so-called 'nuclear umbrella'
to take that position.
It would mean nuclear-armed submarines or bombers
It would mean would not be welcome here.
The main obstacle
has really been concern about the United States reaction
and opposition from the United States.
Critics would say
that in government
the US has leant on you
and said that that treaty, the nuclear weapons Ban Treaty,
and said that that treaty, is inconsistent
with Australia falling under the US nuclear umbrella
and indeed the ANZUS Treaty.
Is that correct? That's not correct.
Is that correct? I've not had a single conversation
with an American counterpart I've not had a single conversation
with an American counterpart about any of this.
Critics might say that you taking that to National Conference
Critics might say that you and advocating for that treaty
was either naive or dishonest.
Well, again, I don't accept that.
And, I mean, you know, this is an issue
that had been worked through at length
and...and we arrived at the position that we did.
and...and we arrived (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Do you think the age of disarmament and nuclear-arms control is over?
Yes, unfortunately,
it really does seem to be the end of an era.
At a time of weakened international co-operation,
it significantly increases the urgency
of getting disarmament, preventing nuclear war.
Australia has a role to play in this new age of nuclear expansion.
At the Tindal air base south of Darwin
the US and Australia have been busy upgrading facilities.
The runway is being extended,
fuel tanks enlarged
and ammunition dumps constructed.
As Four Corners revealed in 2022,
the centrepiece As Four Corners revealed in 2022,
the centrepiece will be a giant expanse of concrete
the centrepiece for six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.
We're seeing a transformation to actual operational basing
We're seeing a transformation where nuclear-weapons operation
could actually be launched from Australia,
particularly from B-52s that might be based in Tindal.
particularly from B-52s How does China view
the stationing of B-52 bombers, American B-52 bombers, in Australia?
We have a very good relationship...
As the world inches closer to a possible nuclear conflict,
Donald Trump wants to cut a deal with China and Russia.
We have the most nuclear weapons. Russia second.
China is actually third by a long way,
but they'll be even within four or five years.
And we are talking about de-escalation.
And we are talking about That's already being talked about.
(GUNFIRE)
(EXPLOSION)
(GUNFIRE)
JENNIFER PARKER: I think we need to say
that the chances of conflict in this region are increasingly likely.
We are likely to experience significant loss of life
if there was a conflict
of not only ADF personnel but civilian population.
It means that the Australian way of life
and this fundamental safety that we've all been born in
and this fundamental safety would absolutely change.
We're paid to be pessimists.
We're paid to think about the world's worst days
and make sure that we're prepared for those.
And, so, it is natural that I worry about what might be in our future.
The single organising principle of all Australian state craft -
diplomacy, military, economic, everything -
diplomacy, military, economic, for the next 30 years
needs to be preventing a war for the next 30 years
needs to be preventing a war between the United States and China.
It's an issue for the whole of nation and the whole of society,
so, we all have to start caring about it.
The fact is it's something that we all need to be worried about.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation