BAN THE BOMB

BARWON Heads’ own Nobel laureate has called on his local federal MPs to “do the right thing” and pledge their support for a ban on nuclear weapons.

Bellarine Secondary College graduate Tim Wright is the AsiaPacific director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The Aussie-born group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week.

Mr Wright said the group would use its new status as Nobel laureate to continue pushing for Australia to sign the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by more than 120 nations this year.

“We have written to Sarah Henderson and Richard Marles to seek their support,” Mr Wright said. “We’re urging them to do the right thing and get behind this vital international agreement.

“We’re disappointed that the government remains opposed to the treaty, even though most other nations in our region strongly support it. We hope that Sarah Henderson will press the Prime Minister to change his position.

“As shadow defence minister, Richard Marles is in a particularly influential position to ensure that a future Labor government signs the treaty.”

While Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has failed to congratulate the ICAN team following its win, Ms Henderson, the Corangamite federal Liberal MP, did not echo his snub.

“I again congratulate Tim Wright and the team from ICAN on their Nobel prize,” Ms Henderson said.

“This is such an incredible honour and demonstrates the impact that ICAN’s work has had around the world.

“I totally support ICAN’s position that our world should be free of nuclear weapons.

“I will certainly raise directly with the Prime Minister Tim’s concerns that Australia should sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

It is not clear if Ms Henderson will sign ICAN’s parliamentary pledge, committing to working towards Australia’s adoption of the treaty.

A spokesman for Mr Marles, the Corio federal Labor MP and Opposition defence spokesman, also congratulated Ms Wright on the award, but said the MP would not respond to questions regarding his signing of the parliamentary pledge.

Mr Marles also did not respond to Mr Wright’s hopes that he would press the Labor Party to commit to signing the UN treaty.

“On behalf of the shadow minister who is currently overseas, we would like to congratulate Tim Wright and the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons on their Nobel Peace Prize win,” spokesman Simon Furey said.

“We commend Mr Wright for his important contribution to international peace.”

ICAN was launched in Melbourne in 2007 and internationally unveiled itself later in the year at a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons conference in Vienna.

The group was the driving force behind a landmark global agreement to ban nuclear weapons adopted by more than 120 nations in July this year.

The treaty was not signed by the United States, Britain, Russia, China or Australia, which doesn’t have any nuclear weapons.