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u k  Ubera! Party of Australia. Â® ) National Part}' of A u stralia,

POLICY ON DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL

Ho n. M . J . R .  MacKellar

Shadow Min is t e r  for Foreign  Af f a ir s

October '1984

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DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL

Australia is a society established on the basis of  democratic ideals which combine a respect for freedom with  a love of peace. Preserving these ideals and balancing  their demands is the fundamental challenge.

THE TASK

Of central importance in Liberal/National Party policies is  the prevention of war, both nuclear and conventional, and  the maintenance of a just peace.

In a nuclear war there can be no winners, no escape for  neutral nations and no protection in so-called nuclear-free  zones.  Nuclear effects are world-wide. No nation, no  matter where situated, can opt out of a nuclear war. .

It is not sufficient to try to prevent only nuclear war.  Conventional weapons (including chemical, nerve and  bacteriological weapons) are greatly increasing in lethal  and destructive powers. Moreover, a conventional war

involving significant interests of major powers could  rapidly accelerate into a nuclear exchange.

The challenge is mammoth and unique. All history has been  littered with wars of varying magnitude.  Few generations  have ever escaped war or its consequences. In the face  of this dismal record and in the final analysis, our task

is to outlaw war forever. This is a task for every  individual as well as every government.

A pre-requisite to any effective long-term disarmament  must be continuous diplomatic moves to eliminate or  reduce areas of tension, to mitigate suspicions, fears  and misunderstandings between nations and to attempt to

remove the concept of permanent world divisions and . enmities. In such matters Australia can and must play  an active part.

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CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES

Of prime urgency is the task to reduce the danger of conflict  due to accident or miscalculation. This is surely the  greatest risk and one which must be constantly addressed.

The inevitable emergence of new and modernized weapons must  constantly threaten to destabilise international confidence.  Crisis management and frequent dialogue will be necessary.

Coalition policies welcome the introduction and support the  strengthening of all appropriate confidence-building  measures. These include the improvement and safeguarding  of the "Hotline" system, the regular updating of existing  understandings on "Accidents Measures", "Incidents at Sea"

and the Helsinki 1975 agreements, the notification of all  significant military manoeuvres and missile launchings and  the exchange of forces data.

VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE

Our immediate aim is to seek agreements involving mutual  substantial and militarily significant reductions of  nuclear and conventional arms, with effective verification  and compliance. Any approach to arms limitation which

ignores the needs of verification and continuing stability  is ineffective, undesirable and dangerous.

STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TALKS

We urge the early resumption of the Strategic Arms Reduction  Talks (START) with full flexibility of approach but with  emphasis upon the significant reduction of the most  destabilising nuclear weapons systems.  .  The overall goal  must be the phased reduction of all strategic nuclear arms

to equivalent and verifiable levels, that is, the mutual  and comparable builddown of strategic forces to the lowest  possible levels.

A balance or equivalence of forces is vital to remove the  dangers of instability or the possibility of pre-emptive  strike.

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INTERMEDIATE RANGE WEAPONS

The rapid proliferation by the USSR of the SS20 intermediate  range nuclear weapons (each mobile, with a triple warhead  and a range of 5000 kilometres) presented a major threat  to Western Europe to which NATO until recently had no counter.  The staged five years introduction of the "Cruise" and

"Pershing II" weapons systems was the Western response to a  former Soviet monopoly of intermediate (INF) weapons.

The Coalition will support policy initiatives aimed  at the outlawing of all INF weapons, wherever situated,  including those poised towards Asia. If total elimination  cannot be achieved, we will strive for balanced, equal and  verifiable reductions.

NATO-WARSAW PACT FORCE REDUCTION

The Coalition supports the Western objective to achieve  mutual and balanced force reductions (MBRF) in Central  Europe.  Negotiations between the twelve NATO countries

and the seven Warsaw Pact countries will be actively  supported. Success here will enhance stability. An  agreement will require effective verification of the levels  of forces.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

We will strive to achieve a complete world-wide ban of  all chemical weapons and the destruction of existing  stock-piles. This will require both national and interÂ­ national verification including on-site inspections. A Coalition government will make available scientific

personnel to assist in such monitoring. .

RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

We will seek a ban against all radiological weapons,  including the accumulation of radioactive materials for  such.purposes.  We will seek to achieve agreement against  attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities.

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COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN  V

We will advocate and support a universal agreement to achieve  a comprehensive nuclear test ban whether atmospheric or  subterranean. We oppose the French testing in Mururoa Atoll.

ARMS CONTROL IN OUTER SPACE

We will seek agreement to achieve effective arms control in  outer space. In particular we will seek to ban anti-satellite  (ASAT) missiles. Satellites perform a vital role as peaceÂ­ keepers in monitoring and surveillance.

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

Australia is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation  Treaty. The nuclear Non-Proliferaton Treaty is one of the  greatest arms control achievements of the past 30 years and we  should continue working to bolster and broaden its scope. .   As an exporter of uranium, Coalition policies have established

stringent safeguards and monitoring systems.

We will work to strengthen the role of the International  Atomic Energy Agency, to improve its programmes and its  safeguards and surveillance systems. We will upgrade our  association with IAEA.

We accept our responsibility under the NTP to supply uranium  to authentic purchasers under strict safeguards.  We will  encourage other nations to join NPT.

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty  Australia has an obligation as a non nuclear weapons state  not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or  other nuclear explosive devices. This is an obligation  which we unqualifably accept and which we believe is

central to the global need to eliminate nuclear armaments.

CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

As a respected member of the Conference on Disarmament,  Australia has a valuable opportunity to influence discussions  and decisions in the plenary sessions, in the work of the  ad hoc committees and, very importantly, in the daily .

informal contact with all member countries on both sides  of the Iron Curtain. '  .

Australia is part of the Western Alliance. Within the .   Western Bloc of 10 we have a significant opportunity to make  thoughtful and independent input into the daily dialogue  of that Bloc. But our influence, if responsibly and

intelligently exercised, can certainly extend to the  non-aligned nations, the so-called Group of 21. Experience  has shown that it is the power of an idea and not the size  of a nation which can capture attention.

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Accordingly, to strengthen our capacities in this field  and to give the next Coalition Government stronger  professional staff support, we will consider the establishment  of a separate arms control and disarmament unit within the  Commonwealth Public Service, staffed by experts in the

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US FACILITIES IN AUSTRALIA

The maintenance of peace depends heavily upon constant  monitoring and surveillance. The US installations in  Australia are vital to verification, compliance and arms

control.

Their inestimable value in their peace-keeping role far  outweighs any disadvantage that they might be targets in  a nuclear w ar.

If such a war should occur, Australia could not escape  its dire consequences whether or not the installations  were on our soil. If prevention fails, there is no escape.

PREVENTION OF WAR

Armaments in themselves do not create wars. The decisions  to precipitate conflict are made by men.

There is a need for detailed study and continuous international  dialogue on the causes and prevention of war.

Only when nations genuinely wish to prevent war will  effective treaties and conventions on arms control and  disarmament emerge. It is the achievement of mutual

goodwill and trust which is the difficult problem. Once  these are secured, the mechanisms of disarmament will 1   fall into place.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The task of securing effective arms control and a permanent  and just peace cannot rest solely with governments and .   international conferences. It demands a full community

understanding of the many complex problems. This process can  be frustrated by irrational and ideologically motivated  propaganda.  It requires comprehensive and reasoned public  debate on the issues.

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There can be no return to the pre-atomic era. Nuclear  technology is within men's minds forever. Constant  vigilance will be necessary to meet and resolve challenges  as new technology gives rise to destabilising developments.

Propaganda itself is a significant weapon of human competition.  It can be used to devastating effect in weakening national  and individual will. ,

In recognition of the need for a well-informed and constantly  alert community, a Coalition Government will provide accurate  and objective information and will encourage thorough public  debate and scrutiny. .

With a full public understanding, we will seek to achieve  bipartisanship between all political parties, both on facts  and actions.

THE WESTERN ALLIANCE

The Coalition recognises the Western Alliance as a major  influence towards the maintenance of world peace. We will  play our full role within that Alliance, including the  ANZUS Pact.

Peace can only be achieved by multilateral action, by  mutual goodwill. -

The Western Alliance is committed to peace. It maintains  a defensive role in a dangerous world.

THE HIGH WORLD COSTS OF DEFENCE

Escalating costs of national defences are preventing the  use of resources towards the effective relief of starvation,  underprivilege and disease, particularly in Third World

countries.

It is morally indefensible that massive human suffering . should persist and living standards remain unduly low when  thousands of billions of dollars are poured into armaments. This fact alone should be a persuasive argument for international  agreements which will reduce military competition and the  diversion of resources into the wastage of military conflict.

