Understorey: Towards Nuclear Zero

Associate Professor Marianne Hanson is an expert on nuclear arms control, at a time when nuclear tensions are sharply rising, and Australia seems to be stepping back from its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. Member for Curtin, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop may not be taking interviews from Understorey, but a Nielsen poll in 2014 showed that 84% of Australians surveyed would welcome a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Now the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has come into existence, many might be wondering why Australia is hesitating to join nations around the world.  Marianne Hanson considers the weight of evidence in favour of the new treaty, rebutting arguments that favour the nuclear weapons states retaining their 15,000 weapons of mass destruction, and while continuing proliferation challenges claims to success from past agreements. (Photo: M. Hanson, by A.Glamorgan) Towards Nuclear Zero