5th August 2025
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia
Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Prime Minister and Minister,
This August marks the 80th Anniversary of the atomic bombings in Japan. Repeating such devastating loss of life and long-term suffering is unthinkable, yet it remains a significant and growing risk. It is time for Australia to show moral leadership and sign & ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Labor committed to joining the treaty while in Opposition, recognising Australia’s strong ethical obligation to do so without further delay. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is firmly grounded in humanitarian principles and supported by the majority of the nations of the world – it is the most comprehensive legal instrument for banning nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons threaten humanity, our planet and everything that we hold dear. Australians want peace, justice and the rule of international law. We must do everything in our power to prevent the slide to nuclear war.
Nuclear weapons do not prevent war. Indeed, the risks of nuclear war are higher than ever, as illustrated by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock. Geopolitical instability is worsening, with loss of arms control agreements while nuclear arsenals are modernised and expanded. This includes new nuclear capabilities and the risk of spread to new countries. Climate change is worsening the risk of mass migration and conflict over scant resources. The rise of artificial intelligence and the swift spread of disinformation amplifies the risk of war and the inadvertent or deliberate use of nuclear weapons.
Please honour Labor’s promise and sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and we urge you to announce a clear timeline to do both, this term of government. You have the power to act – in the name of our common humanity and the planet that sustains us.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Kate Wylie, Executive Director
On behalf of Doctors for the Environment Australia