Tasmanian Peace Trust calls for thought …

… before action on committing troops to war

In light of the possible involvement of the US in the Syrian conflict, the Tasmanian Peace Trust today called for both major parties to establish a proper parliamentary procedure before committing troops to war.

Peter Jones, Secretary of the Tasmanian Peace Trust said, “In other countries such as Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Parliament has to agree to the decision to go to war, but not in Australia.

“In 2001 when Australia sent troops to support the Americans in Afghanistan, it was an executive decision by PM John Howard to back up his good friend, George Bush. Tony Abbott said yesterday that he was involved in that decision too. Since then, Afghanistan has become Australia’s longest war – even longer than Vietnam and both World Wars.

“The war on Iraq was a similar decision made by Prime Ministers who did not consult either House of Parliament’, Dr. Jones said.

Convenor of the Peace Trust, Helen Burnet said, “The Tasmanian Peace Trust supports the call for the government to reconsider its decision on sending our troops to any war by establishing a War Powers Act.

“As a country, we have an obligation to think before committing the lives of young men and women we are sending into battle. To date, both major parties have refused to back such a move. Given the fact that over 30 men of the ADF have been killed in Afghanistan to date, it seems a basic requirement for a democracy to have Parliament debate the decision to go to war, when lives are at risk and the taxpayer has to foot the bill. In addition the country continues to pay for the care of those men and women whose physical and mental injuries are apparent for years after the war is over.

“We have seen our politicians from both Labor and the Coalition make decisions with enormous implications for our country and those troops participating in combat, their families and communities.

“The Tasmanian Peace Trust urges that such a major decision should be properly considered by both houses of parliament, rather than a knee-jerk response to fall into line with larger allies.”

Background

In Australia there have been numerous attempts to introduce legislation to bring more transparency and accountability into the decision making process before committing troops to overseas wars.

• In 1985 Australian Democrats Senator, Colin Mason, introduced a Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill.

• In 2003 at the time of the Iraq war, Senator Andrew Bartlett, (also Australian Democrats) introduced a similar bill.

• In 2008 Greens Senator Scott Ludlam reintroduced it as a private members bill.

• In 2010 Greens MP Adam Bandt introduced Defence Amendment to the House of Representatives (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill.

The major parties have consistently obstructed the passage of legislation that would ensure parliamentary debate before military deployment overseas.

The need for this legislation is demonstrated by the Australian participation in the Iraq war. The decision to join the invasion was made in haste by the PM and the National Security Committee. Such a decision should require at least a full parliamentary debate.

Australia needs War Powers legislation enacted to bring it into line with other democracies like Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey, where troop deployment is set down in constitutional or legislative provisions. In other countries, such as Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, some form of parliamentary approval is a requirement.

There is an online petition which calls for this as well:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Request_for_parliamentary_debate_before_sending_Australian_troops_overseas/?cHjAicb
Peter Jones, Helen Burnet, Tasmanian Peace Trust