Position Statements Register
| MatterMatter | MatterNuclear Free Zones |
|---|---|
| Date AdoptedDate Adopted | Date Adopted7/23/2006 |
| Responsible OfficerResponsible Officer | Responsible OfficerEnvironmental Planning Manager |
| DivisionDivision | DivisionCity Strategy |
| Position StatementPosition Statement | Position StatementWollongong City Council restates its commitment to remain a Nuclear Free Zone. |
| Background/HistoryBackground/History | Background/HistoryThis Motion was adopted by Council as a Motion to the 2006 NSW LGA Annual Conference. Minute # 216. Council first adopted this position in 1980 and reaffirmed in 2006 and again on 4 April 2022. The Lord Mayor wrote to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs to advise that Wollongong City Council endorses the ICAN Cities Appeal. in 2019. The declaration of a nuclear free zone is a symbolic statement banning nuclear weapons and nuclear power. It does not prohibit radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine. Over 100 local government areas have declared themselves nuclear free zones. Wollongong has a longstanding commitment as a nuclear free zone, having first made that declaration in 1980 and renewing the commitment several times. Nuclear power and nuclear weapons pose a serious threat to human and environmental health and safety. An uncontrolled nuclear reaction can cause widespread contamination of air and water, something which has occurred most notably in Fukushima in Japan and Chernobyl in the Ukraine. To date, 1.5% of all nuclear power plants ever built have melted down to some degree. Nuclear power also creates radioactive waste that remains dangerous to human health for thousands of years. Nuclear weapons cause catastrophic harm and are a threat to the safety and security of all life on earth. They are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. A world without nuclear weapons is a world that is safer and more secure. |