Forum: Special Political and Decolonization
Issue: The lingering impact of British nuclear tests in the Aboriginal land
Student Officer: Zuzanna Szczepańska
INTRODUCTION
The Second World War was an impulse for many countries to develop its nuclear industry.
Apart from United States of America and Russian Federation that were involved in potent
atomic researches, also United Kingdom was progressing in chemical weapon. The Cold War
occurred to be more than only state of military and political tension between powers in
Western and Eastern Block. It pushed both sides of conflict in further nuclear tests. For
United Kingdom the best place for its trials was Australia. Not only was it far from Europe
but also far from mass media that would try to expose abnormalities of safety norms during
the detonations. Consequently documents that concerned information about the tests are not
complete. The fact that Aborigines were not secure in their villages we could only know from
interviews with British workers. Between 1952 and 1991 government of United Kingdom
conducted 45 nuclear tests on territory of Aborigines. 12 of those bombs were detonated in
Maralinga, closed in 1967 following a clean-up operation. The rest of testing area is still
unsafe. Moreover, even Maralinga is not the right place to live. Despite that facts, native
inhabitants of Australia still have this land as their ownership and each day find remnants of
contaminated metals.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA)
Woomera was declared a prohibited area in 1947. The WPA's size (122 188 km2), remote
location and quiet electromagnetic environment made it an ideal test and evaluation site for
Australia and its allies and partners. The WPA was established as a long-range weapons
testing facility by the United Kingdom and Australia under the Anglo-Australian Joint
Project, which wound down during the 1970s.
Maralinga
Between 1952 and 1963 the British Government, with the agreement and support of the
Australian Government, carried out nuclear tests at three sites in Australia – the Monte Bello
Islands off the Western Australian coast, and at Emu Field and Maralinga in South Australia.
An official history of the tests (JL Symonds, A History of British Atomic Tests in Australia,
AGPS, Canberra) was published by the Department of Resources and Energy in
1985.Maralinga was developed as the permanent proving ground site, following a request of
the British in 1954, and, after its completion in 1956, was the location of all trials conducted
in Australia. It was developed as a joint facility with a shared funding arrangement. Following
the two major trials there were a number of minor trials, assessment tests and experimental
programs (dating from 1959) held at the range until 1963. Maralinga was officially closed
following a clean-up operation in 1967.
NUCLEAR TESTING
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield, and
explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the 20th century, most nations that
developed nuclear weapons tested them. Testing nuclear weapons can yield information about
how the weapons work, as well as how the weapons behave under various conditions and how
personnel, structures, and equipment behave when subjected to nuclear explosions.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Firstly, we have to say that there are two disservices: one cultural one health. When
Australian government agreed to perform 7 atomic tests on Aboriginal homeland many native
inhabitants were forcibly removed from their villages and that caused cultural damages.
Second damage was exposing more than 1,200 Aborigines (that were not removed) to
radiation. The radioactive pullout, called “puyu”, caused sore eyes, skin rashes, diarrhoea,
vomiting, fever, early death, long term illnesses such as cancer and lung diseases.
In 1991 the Australian government made a payment of $618,000 to Aboriginal groups around
Maralinga area. This amount was about to cover the costs of contamination of the land.
In 1995 Aborigines were paid by the British government for the same reason but $13.5
million dollars plus $6 million dollars as the help to rebuilt the township.
Since the end of nuclear tests 19 Aboriginal people tried to get the compensation not for
contamination of land, which was obvious as proofs were clearly visible, but the
compensation for being unconsciously exposed to the radiation. Only five of those people
have been paid total $200,000 and 14 inferences have been rejected. Justification of british
government is unchangeable: the Aborigines have no proofs that their illnesses are not caused
by genetic changes.
DETONATIONS
Name
Date
Location
Power Burst Heigh
One tree
27 september 1956 29°52′12,0″S 131°39′28,8″E 12,9 kt 31 m
Marcoo
4 october 1956
29°52′58,8″S 131°37′22,8″E 1,4 kt
0,2 m
Kite
11 october 1956
28°53′24,0″S 131°38′52,8″E 2,9 kt
150 m
Breakaway 22 october 1956
29°53′42,0″S 131°36′14,4″E 10,8 kt 31 m
Tadje
14 september 1957 29°53′27,6″S 131°38′42,0″E 0,93 kt 31 m
Biak
25 september1957
29°53′38,4″S 131°36′57,6″E 5,67 kt 31 m
Taranaki
9 october 1957
29°53′45,6″S 131°33′36,0″E 26,6 kt 300 m
MAJOR COUNTRIES INVOLVED
United Kingdom
In years 1952-1991 conducted over 40 nuclear tests on territory of Australia. All cases
concerning compensation of health damages are against UK.
Australia
Its government was accused of being passive to decisions made by British government. Now
the government do not identify with victims of radiation.
ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CNTBT). Organisation that examines the
effects of neglect and fighting for the rights of victims.
RELEVANT EVENTS
1984 The Royal Commission
In response to growing concerns about the safety standards observed during the
conduct of the nuclear trials, especially with regard to measures taken to protect
people from the exposure to ionising radiation, and the disposal of radioactive
substances and toxic materials, the Australian Government established a Royal
Commission in 1984 to inquire into these aspects of the tests. The Royal
Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s
gave considerable attention to the tests conducted in the Maralinga area.
The Royal Commission affirmed that Australian government did not make the
decision to let British government conduct nuclear tests under pressure of United
Kingdom. It also confirmed that the land was contaminated and taking steps to
clean it up is essential. Commission did not find out any flaws in conducting tests
and removing from its area people.
1967 Operation Brumby
The aim of this operation was to minimalism the radiation of harmful elements by
cleaning them up.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Isolating a Woomera area was an important step in process of providing security to
inhabitants of irradiated land. This process should continued in order to not minimalism but
eliminate the harmful elements in natural environment of aboriginal tribes. During the clen-up
in 1967 most of the radioactive metals such as plutonium or uranium from the bombs were
just buried. Until today it is possible to find significant amounts of metal on less than 1m
depth.
New purifying of contaminated area is required as much as examination local popularity to
any effects caused by radiation. Effects of radiation spreads from cancers, blindness, deafness,
untimely death, diseases of the nervous system, skin changes and short term diarrheas or
vomiting. In case of finding any of those illness or its symptoms, the victim of radiation ought
to have the right course of treatment assured by the government of Australia or United
Kingdom.
Both sides that took place in tests should reinvestigate all complaints and lawsuits against
governments. New proofs and findings in negligence build new foundations to reconsider all
rejected applications.
In conclusion governments should consider both health compensations and cleaning-up whole
Woomera Prohibited Area, as banning the entrance to this land does not constitute the security
of population living around it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/maralinga-how-british-nuclear-testschanged-history-forever#axzz3hsO7vCfZ
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs129.aspx
http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/previous%20series/lcj/1-20/wayward/ch16.html
http://www.foe.org.au/anti-nuclear/issues/oz/britbombs/summary
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brytyjskie_testy_nuklearne_w_Maralinga
http://allshookup.org/quakes/atomic.htm
https://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-of-nuclear-testing/the-unitedkingdomsnuclear-testing-programme/