• Project description
• Project outcome
• Project outputs
• Project Milestones

Project description

Geoscience Australia monitors nuclear explosions worldwide on behalf of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following a 1984 government decision. In 1996, Australia signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and ratified the Treaty in 1998. As part of the ratification process new legislation had to be introduced and a new Act, the "Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Act 1998" was passed by Parliament. The Nuclear Monitoring project helps Australia fulfil its obligations under the CTBT by monitoring for nuclear explosions worldwide and by strengthening its contribution to a global verification regime.

Australia is now focusing on the Entry-Into-Force (EIF) of the CTBT that will provide a political framework to limit the further development and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Once EIF is in place, the Australian Government will work towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Project outcome

To enhance Australia's technical means of monitoring nuclear explosions worldwide and to strengthen Australia's commitment to the establishment of the global verification system that will monitor future compliance of the CTBT.

Project outputs

• Technical advice and information is provided to the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Defence, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the media to meet Australian technical requirements and obligations to the CTBT.
• Enhanced discrimination procedures will be developed for Australia and the international community to improve Australia's capability to discriminate nuclear explosions.
• CTBTO monitoring stations are being installed in Australia to meet Australia's obligations in building a global verification system. As of August 2006 only two stations, from the 11 stations that Geoscience Australia are responsible for, remain to be completed. These are located at Cocos Islands and Davis Base, Antarctica, and are currently in the preliminary stages of implementation.
• Providing data to the CTBTO so as to fulfil one of Australia's obligations to the CTBT.

Project Milestones

2005

• Regional Technical Training Course for National Data Centre Staff

Geoscience Australia co-hosted with the CTBTO a regional technical training course for National Data Centre (NDC) technical staff, at Geoscience Australia from 21-25 November 2005. The goal of this course was to train NDC staff from southeast Asia and the SW Pacific on what and how to interpret the products that are generated by the CTBT verification system. These training programs assist in enhancing the knowledge and further momentum of the CTBT verification regime in this region, and may potentially lead to further ratifications of the Treaty.

• Demonstration of equipment for geophysical investigations in the continuation phase of an on-site inspection: Part 3

Geoscience Australia, in cooperation with the CTBTO, hosted an on-site inspection field exercise in the Bungonia State recreation area, near Goulburn NSW, from 2 to 7 October, 2005. The focus of this exercise was to assess the effectiveness of a range of geophysical survey equipment at detecting phenomena consistent with those of an underground nuclear explosion and provide "hands-on" training for potential on-site inspectors on the use of these equipment.

2004

• 2004 Infrasound Technology Workshop

An Infrasound Technology Workshop was hosted by Geoscience Australia in cooperation with the CTBTO in Hobart from 29 November to 3 December, 2004. This workshop provided a forum for infrasound phenomenology researchers to present their research results and discuss infrasound issues related to the CTBT.