Australia's oldest organisation dedicated to peace is hoping to push Mount Isa City Council to do a Queensland first.
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Valerie Joy and Delene Cuddihy from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom were in Mount Isa on Friday to talk to mayor Danielle Slade, having met with Flinders Shire Council the day before and they are also meeting Townsville, Winton and Longreach councils.
The WILPF are working with the Australian founded organisation International Coalition Against Nuclear Weapons, who have initiated a campaign at the United Nations which has seen the majority of the world's countries impose a Total Nuclear Weapons Treaty Ban.
They are now trying to lobby the Australian government to sign and ratify the UN Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
Ms Joy and Ms Cuddihy were in Mount Isa to to raise awareness of a new initiative from the majority of countries in the world to ban nuclear weapons.and try and persuade Council to move a motion in support of the initiative.
Ms Joy said the world was becoming more unstable and it was important that countries like Australia take a stand on nuclear weapons.
To that end they wanted put pressure on the federal government by asking councils to move a motion to sign an appeal letter to the federal government to sign the Total Nuclear Weapons Ban at the UN.
"If the council supports it, that would be sent to the Morrison Government as the first council in Queensland to sign it," Ms Cuddihy said.
Ms Cuddihy said they met with Mayor Danielle Slade and she was a delightful person who gave generously of her time and interest.
"She suggested that a virtual delegation to Council on this matter would be appropriate," she said.
"So we are looking at putting together the first virtual delegation to Mount Isa Council. Date yet to be confirmed but hopefully in early November."
She said partner organisation ICAN were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2107 for this initiative.
"This Nobel Peace Medal is located in Australia and for a photo opportunity they would send the medal to any local councils which signs the appeal letter," she said.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia does not support the ban treaty because it believes "it would not eliminate a single nuclear weapon".
"Additionally, it creates parallel obligations to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),has not engaged any state that possesses nuclear weapons in its negotiations, ignores the realities of the global security environment, has weaker safeguards provisions than the existing NPT framework, and it would be inconsistent with our US alliance obligations," DFAT says on its website.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
