Anti-nuclear activists on the road

The City of Sydney hosted a reception for anti-nuclear walkers from Footprints for Peace at Town Hall last week, showing its support for ending Australia’s involvement in the nuclear cycle.

Among supporters were Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon and various councillors from Sydney Mayors for Peace.

The walkers from Footprints for Peace – Women’s International Peace Walk, are walking from Brisbane to Canberra to protest nuclear proliferation.

In Canberra the walkers will present Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with a message stick from the indigenous people of Brisbane and 1000 paper cranes, a Japanese symbol of peace.

Standing in for Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Councillor Di Tornay spoke against Australia’s involvement in uranium mining and exportation.

“As Australians, we cannot absolve ourselves from responsibility for nuclear arms. If we are prepared to mine and sell uranium we must acknowledge we are fuelling the risk,” Cr Di Tornay said.

“We are also supporting an industry which is water intensive and impacts severely – through inappropriate disposal of waste tailings – on the environment.”

One of the walk organisers, Cassie McMahon, said she was walking to Canberra for a sustainable future.

“I feel frustrated that our federal government is not looking into the alternative resources we have here in Australia and is staying caught up in the nuclear cycle and the fossil fuel industries, rather than empowering the renewable sector,” she said.

“Australia’s participating in the nuclear cycle by digging up uranium. There are no little Australian flags on each molecule of uranium so it is very hard for us to know if those weapons have come from the source of Australia.”

Cr Irene Doutney used the Town Hall reception to announce that the City of Sydney would debate an anti-nuclear motion put by the Deputy Lord Mayor Philip Black.

The motion would be “calling on the Federal Government to act on the recommendations of a report for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament”.

Cr Doutney also spoke against the use of Aboriginal land at the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump.

“God knows what it could do and how it could contaminate Aboriginal land. This is just appalling, ” she said.

Cr. Doutney has the highest hopes that the Prime Minister will meet with the walkers, saying that it is his “duty” to hear the voices of the Australian people.

The Footprints for Peace walkers finished the Sydney leg of their protest with a peaceful, silent vigil outside the nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights before continuing on to Glenfield.

The walkers will arrive in Canberra on May 25.

– By Anna Watanabe