3CR broadcast this program of mine and Andrew’s today on Alternative News which is the CICD’s program.
It has more relevance because of Chris Pyne’s speech on 20th Feb 2019 about the US Alliance and Pine Gap.
Some comment about which follow:
Some quotes will have bearing on the implications of Australia signing the UN Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons which doesn’t allow a defence association or dependency or support for a country storing and potentially using nuclear weapons such as the United States. So it is very important to pressure an ALP government (if elected in May) to adhere to its National Conference (of last December) resolution to sign the UN Treaty when in government.
Quotes from Chris Pyne’s speech:
“Crucially, the Alliance also means that Australia benefits from the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the US.”
“Australia is not only a beneficiary of the US policy of extended nuclear deterrence, it is an active supporter of it, through our joint efforts with the US at Pine Gap and at other facilities, such as the Naval Communications Station Harold E. Holt, and the Joint Geological and Geophysical Research Station.
As the then-Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, noted in his public statement on Pine Gap in 1984, Australia should not claim the protection of nuclear deterrence without being willing to make a contribution to its effectiveness.
“Like Pine Gap, the Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, in Exmouth, Western Australia, has also contributed to Australia’s national security for over half a century.
This Australian facility, which was previously jointly operated with the US Navy until we assumed full control in the 1990s, provides communications for Australian and US submarines and ships.
This includes communications for the submarine-based nuclear deterrence capabilities of the US in the Indo-Pacific, which are crucial to credible deterrence, a stable nuclear balance and our own security.”
These points were made in a radio program made by myself and Andrew Fullarton broadcast today on 3CR (text and audio attached).
