1952 CE–1963 CE
British nuclear tests at Monte Bello, Emu Field and Maralinga
British Empire · War & conquest · Resistance & colonized agency · Indigenous peoples & dispossession · Famine, health & environment · Memory, reparation & restitution
With the agreement and support of the Australian government, the United Kingdom conducted nuclear trials at the Monte Bello Islands, Emu Field and Maralinga between 1952 and 1963. Tests and experiments contaminated lands inhabited by Aboriginal peoples, especially Anangu and Maralinga Tjarutja communities, and also exposed service personnel. The 1985 McClelland Royal Commission criticized protection of Indigenous people and safety management, revealing how a postcolonial military relationship preserved hierarchies and shifted risks onto local communities
Precision, calendar, and review
- Start
- year · no uncertainty qualifier in this record
- End
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- Calendar and convention
- Historical-era years; the source calendar is not identified. No conversion of days is assumed.
- Year zero
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- Documentary review
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Sources
- 1. www.naa.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
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- 2026-09-23
The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.
- 2. parlinfo.aph.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
- Publication date
- Pending verification: the source could not be accessed
- Bibliographic date checked
- 2026-09-23
The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.
This record is an editorial synthesis. Consult the sources to check claims and their limits. Chronological relationships alone do not establish causation.