STATEMENT REPORTING ON THE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO EUROPE  ON FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING, 2-17 SEPTEMBER

BY THE HON GORDON BILNEY MP

-MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AND PACIFIC ISLAND AFFAIRS

MR SPEAKER, I WELCOME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REPORT TO HONOURABLE  MEMBERS ON THE MULTI-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION WHICH I LED  TO EUROPE IN THE FIRST HALF OF SEPTEMBER. MEMBERS WILL RECALL  THAT THE DELEGATION COMPRISED THE MEMBER FOR CHIFLEY, THE  MEMBER FOR MAYO, THE MEMBER FOR MORETON, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE  MEMBER FOR NEW ENGLAND, SENATOR BOURNE AND MYSELF. THE

DELEGATION VISITED EIGHT COUNTRIES IN QUICK SUCCESSION: GERMANY,  BELGIUM, THE UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, THE NETHERLANDS, SWEDEN,  DENMARK AND AUSTRIA. AS YOU KNOW, I HAD TO LEAVE THE DELEGATION  AFTER THE FIRST WEEK IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE SOUTH PACIFIC FORUM IN  PNG, AND THE MEMBER FOR CHIFLEY, THE HON ROGER PRICE, WHO IS  CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS  DEFENCE AND TRADE, LED THE DELEGATION IN MY ABSENCE.

THIS VISIT WAS A RESULT OF THE UPSWELLING OF OUTRAGE AMONG  AUSTRALIANS AT FRANCE'S DECISION TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTING IN THE  PACIFIC. ALL AUSTRALIANS ARE APPALLED AT THE DECISION OF PRESIDENT  CHIRAC TO IGNORE WORLD OPINION AND TO BREAK THE MORATORIUM ON

TESTING INTRODUCED BY HIS PREDECESSOR. THIS DECISION SHOWS  COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR THE FEELINGS OF THOSE LIVING IN THIS REGION  WHO ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OVER

THE LONG TERM. AUSTRALIANS DO NOT ACCEPT THAT THESE TESTS ARE  EITHER DEFENSIBLE OR NECESSARY. AND IN ALL SORTS OF WAYS THE  AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE HAS GIVEN EXPRESSION TO ITS ANGER ON THIS ISSUE.  WE HAVE SENT DELEGATIONS TO FRANCE, WE HAVE SENT PROTESTS, WE  HAVE TAKEN ACTION IN INTERNATIONAL FORUMS AND WE HAVE GIVEN THE  FRENCH GOVERNMENT NO COMFORT WHATSOEVER ON THIS ISSUE.

WHAT DID THIS DELEGATION SET OUT TO DO? OUR MAIN GOAL WAS TO  CONVEY TO THE PARLIAMENTS. GOVERNMENTS AND PEOPLES OF EUROPE  OUR DETERMINED OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR TESTING. WE WANTED TO  ENCOURAGE A MORE FORTHRIGHT STANCE ON THE PART OF FRANCE'S  EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS. AS WE KNOW THAT THE ONLY WAY WE WILL END  NUCLEAR TESTING IS BY BUILDING A UNANIMOUS INTERNATIONAL CHORUS

OF OPPOSITION TO IT - AND THE COUNTRIES OF EUROPE ARE PARTICULARLY  IMPORTANT IN THIS REGARD. WE WANTED TO LOBBY FOR A RESOLUTION IN  THE UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNING ALL NUCLEAR TESTING. WE ALSO  WANTED TO URGE SUPPORT FOR A TRULY COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST

BAN TREATY WHICH WOULD BAN ALL TESTING IN ALL ENVIRONMENTS FOR  ALL TIME. AND FINALLY, WE WANTED TO EXPLAIN THE REASONS FOR OUR  POSITION, TO MAKE CLEAR THAT OUR DISAGREEMENT WITH FRANCE WAS  CONFINED TO THE SINGLE ISSUE OF NUCLEAR TESTING.

HERE LET ME SAY THAT I WAS QUITE SURPRISED AT SOME OF THE  MISINFORMATION WHICH HAD CREPT INTO THE PUBLIC MIND IN EUROPE ON  THIS ISSUE. FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS ASKED BY ONE INTERVIEWER WHY THE  AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS FUNDING GREENPEACE'S ACTIVITIES! IT IS  A CURIOUS BUT UNFORTUNATE FACT THAT FROM THE DISTANT VANTAGE  POINT OF EUROPE IT IS EASY TO DEPICT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AS  RESPONSIBLE FOR A VARIETY OF PROTEST ACTIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE  ILLEGAL. WE WERE IN PARIS AT THE TIME OF THE RIOTS IN PAPEETE AND I  AM SURE THAT IN THE EYES OF SOME THERE WAS THE IDEA THAT THE  AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS SOMEHOW INVOLVED. OF COURSE THE  GOVERNMENT DOES NOT CONDONE ILLEGAL PROTEST ACTIVITY.

I AM PLEASED TO REPORT, MR SPEAKER, THAT THE DELEGATION ACHIEVED  ITS PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES TO A VERY SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE. WE HAD SOME  37 MEETINGS WITH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS, PARLIAMENTARY  COMMITTEES, OTHER PARLIAMENTARIANS AND RELEVANT FIGURES IN  BODIES SUCH AS THE EUROPEAN UNION AND INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC  ENERGY AGENCY. WE HELD PRESS CONFERENCES AND GAVE MEDIA  INTERVIEWS IN EACH COUNTRY, TO PURSUE OUR GOAL OF RAISING PUBLIC  AWARENESS OF AUSTRALIA'S POSITION. IN ADDITION THE DELEGATION  TOOK PART IN A VIDEO CONFERENCE FROM STOCKHOLM WITH THE FOREIGN  RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE FINNISH PARLIAMENT. THE DELEGATION  ALSO ATTENDED PART OF THE OPENING OF ORAL PLEADINGS IN NEW  ZEALAND'S ACTION AGAINST FRENCH TESTING IN THE INTERNATIONAL  COURT OF JUSTICE.

THE COUNTRIES WE VISITED WERE VERY DELIBERATELY SELECTED AND IN  ALL BUT THREE COUNTRIES, OUR INTERLOCUTORS WERE VERY RECEPTIVE  TO OUR REPRESENTATIONS, AND OUR DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON WAYS IN  WHICH WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO ADVANCE OUR SHARED OBJECTIVES.

IN TWO COUNTRIES - GERMANY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM - PUBLIC  OPINION IS RUNNING STRONGLY AGAINST RENEWED TESTING, BUT FOR  VARIOUS REASONS THE RESPONSE OF GOVERNMENTS HAS BEEN  DISAPPOINTINGLY QUIET. IN THESE PLACES WE WERE GIVEN A POLITE AND

ATTENTIVE HEARING BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT THERE WAS A RELUCTANCE  TO TAKE ON BOARD OUR VIEWS. OR FOR THAT MATTER THE VIEWS OF THEIR  OWN CONSTITUENCIES, ON THIS ISSUE. NEVERTHELESS, IT WAS PLEASING TO  NOTICE THAT AFTER OUR VISITS THERE, WHEN THE FIRST TEST WAS HELD,

BOTH THE GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE LEADER OF THE BRITISH  OPPOSITION ISSUED STATEMENTS WHICH ADVANCED THEIR PUBLIC  POSITIONS ON THE ISSUE: AND FOR THAT REASON, AND AS A RESULT OF OUR  CONTINUING PRESSURE, I BELIEVE THE CHANCE OF FURTHER MOVEMENT BY  THESE COUNTRIES IS CONSIDERABLE.

THE VISIT TO FRANCE OF COURSE FELL INTO A CATEGORY OF ITS OWN. BUT  EVEN THERE WE WERE VERY PLEASED AT THE ACCESS WE WERE GIVEN TO  SENIOR MINISTERS. WE MET THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE, THE MINISTER FOR

OVERSEAS TERRITORIES AND THE MINISTER FOR AID. A MEETING WITH THE  FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER WAS SCHEDULED BUT HAD TO BE CANCELLED  BECAUSE OF AN URGENT INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON BOSNIA WHICH HE  HAD TO ATTEND.

OUR DISCUSSIONS WERE FORTHRIGHT AND ROBUST YET WERE HELD IN A  CALM ATMOSPHERE. THE FRENCH MINISTERS EXPLAINED THE REASONS FOR  THEIR GOVERNMENT'S DECISION. WE FOR OUR PART PUT TO THE FRENCH  VERY CLEARLY AUSTRALIA'S POSITION ON THE ISSUE. WE WENT THROUGH  ONE BY ONE THE REASONS ADVANCED BY THE FRENCH SIDE, POINTING OUT  THAT THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF TESTING WERE BASED ON FALSE  PREMISES. THAT IS TO SAY, ARGUMENTS ABOUT RELIABILITY WOULD MAKE

SENSE TO A MATHEMATICIAN OR A DEFENCE SCIENTIST, BUT IN THE REAL  WORLD NO POTENTIAL AGGRESSOR WOULD STAKE HIS CHANCES ON THE  POSSIBILITY THAT FRENCH NUCLEAR MISSILES WOULD NOT WORK. GIVEN  THAT 200 ODD FRENCH TESTS SO FAR HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, THE CHANCE  THAT A FIRST WEAPON USED IN ANGER WOULD NOT GO OFF IS NOT ONE AN  AGGRESSOR WOULD BE LIKELY TO TAKE. AND IF NOT THE FIRST, WHAT  ABOUT THE SECOND, OR THIRD?

WE ALSO ATTEMPTED TO EXPLORE FURTHER THE POSSIBILITY THAT FRANCE  MIGHT OBTAIN THE DATA TO CONSTRUCT COMPUTER SIMULATION  PROGRAMS WHICH IT IS LOOKING FOR FROM OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS SUCH  AS THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS A MATTER I HAVE RAISED ON SEVERAL  OCCASIONS BEFORE, INCLUDING BEFORE PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S ELECTION. I

REGRET TO SAY THAT THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES DO NOT SEEM INTERESTED  IN THE IDEA - I SUSPECT HOWEVER THAT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER IT  HAS NOT APPEALED TO FRANCE.

WE TOOK PARTICULAR PAINS TO EXPLAIN TO THE FRENCH MINISTERS THAT  AUSTRALIA WAS NOT ATTEMPTING TO DEPRIVE FRANCE OF ITS NUCLEAR  CAPABILITY. WE REITERATED AUSTRALIA'S OPPOSITION TO TESTING BEING  CARRIED OUT BY CHINA AS WELL AS FRANCE. WE TOOK ISSUE TIME AND  AGAIN WITH THE VIEW THAT AUSTRALIA WAS OPPOSED TO FRANCE'S PLACE

IN THE PACIFIC OR THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS ENCOURAGING ECONOMIC  BOYCOTTS OF FRENCH GOODS: NEITHER IS THE CASE.

I HAVE TO SAY THAT THESE DISCUSSIONS DID NOT YIELD THE RESULTS WE  MIGHT-HAVE WISHED. ON THE NEED FOR FRANCE TO CONTINUE TESTING, WE  DID NOT PERSUADE OUR INTERLOCUTORS TO ACCEPT OUR POINT OF VIEW.  BUT I AM SURE THAT THEY NOW UNDERSTAND OUR POSITION MUCH BETTER,

EVEN IF THEY DO NOT AGREE WITH IT.

I AM CERTAIN THAT AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF THE  DELEGATION WAS THE BROAD PARTICIPATION IN IT OF ALL MAJOR PARTIES  REPRESENTED IN THE PARLIAMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE  CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL DELEGATION MEMBERS, FROM THE GOVERNMENT,  THE OPPOSITION AND THE AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS. THE FACT THAT ALL

THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE PARLIAMENT WERE REPRESENTED  HELPED REINFORCE THE IMPACT WE MADE, BY UNDERLINING THE FACT  THAT OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR TESTING IS SHARED ACROSS THE POLITICAL  SPECTRUM IN THIS COUNTRY. IT WAS PARTICULARLY USEFUL WHEN  -MEETING MINISTERS AND MPs FROM THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE OF POLITICS,

FOR EXAMPLE IN THE UK, THAT THEY SHOULD HEAR OUR MESSAGES  CONVEYED BY PEOPLE WHO, ON OTHER ISSUES, WOULD NORMALLY BE  EXPECTED TO SHARE SIMILAR VIEWS.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? THE CAMPAIGN IS BY NO MEANS OVER.  ANOTHER DELEGATION FROM THIS PARLIAMENT, LED BY THE PRESIDENT OF  THE SENATE, IS CURRENTLY IN EUROPE ON A VISIT TO THE EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT, SPAIN AND THE OECD. THIS DELEGATION WILL BE RAISING  THE SAME ISSUES AS PART OF ITS AGENDA.

AUSTRALIA IS CONTINUING TO MAKE ITS VOICE HEARD IN INTERNATIONAL  FORUMS. AUSTRALIA IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN NEGOTIATIONS ON A DRAFT  RESOLUTION FOR DEBATE IN THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY  WHICH WE HOPE WILL GAIN THE WIDEST POSSIBLE SUPPORT. THIS WILL BE  AN IMPORTANT WAY OF GIVING EXPRESSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL  COMMUNITY'S CONDEMNATION OF NUCLEAR TESTING.

IT NOW SEEMS INEVITABLE, THOUGH I SAY IT WITH RELUCTANCE, THAT  MORE TESTS WILL OCCUR, BUT CERTAINLY NOT AS MANY AS WE FIRST  THOUGHT. NOR IS IT CLEAR TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT ANY FURTHER  BILATERAL ACTION THAT AUSTRALIA COULD TAKE WOULD MAKE

PRESIDENT CHIRAC CHANGE HIS MIND. I DO BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT THE  STORM OF OPPOSITION WHICH HAS BEEN AROUSED OVER THIS ISSUE - AND  OF WHICH OUR DELEGATION WAS PART - HAS HAD A MEASURABLE IMPACT  IN FRANCE. ONE HAS ONLY TO LOOK AT FRANCE'S WELCOME ACCEPTANCE  OF A ZERO-YIELD CTBT - AS PROMOTED BY AUSTRALIA - AS WELL AS THE

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT CHIRAC WHICH CLEARLY LEAVES OPEN THE  POSSIBILITY THAT THE NUMBER OF TESTS MAY BE REDUCED. THERE ARE  ALSO INDICATIONS THAT THE DURATION OF THE TEST SERIES WILL BE  SHORTENED. I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT A SUSTAINED CAMPAIGN OF PUBLIC  OPPOSITION WILL REINFORCE THIS TREND AND THAT WE WILL SOON SEE A  DEFINITIVE END TO NUCLEAR TESTING IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

ON BEHALF OF THE DELEGATION 1  CONCLUDE BY EXPRESS MY THANKS TO  THE OFFICERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS OFFICE AND OFFICERS  OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE IN CANBERRA AND  OVERSEAS WHO, IN THEIR UNFAILINGLY HELPFUL AND EFFICIENT WAY, PUT

TOGETHER THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR OUR VISIT AND MADE AN IMPORTANT  CONTRIBUTION TO ITS SUCCESS.

