Kellie Tranter
Australia is a part of a hostile military alliance directed at China. “Interoperability” or “interchangeability” means we’re now a US pawn, tied to its coattails. So that’s the job of every Australian: push for more information, keep talking about why AUKUS is an utter disaster and why it commits us to a costly and dangerous trajectory.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have placed the Doomsday clock at 90 seconds to midnight. New weapons have such destructive power – as we’ve witnessed in the Ukraine, Lebanon and Gaza – that there will be no victor in any war, no one gets out of it with what they want. Wars fought with modern weapons, often remotely, can destroy everything. Anything that makes society function is a target.
Neither Chinese hospitals nor ours can cope with mass casualties. In fact, an FOI request I issued in 2022 covering the period immediately after the Albanese Government was elected, basically for information provided to the Minister for Defence about the estimates of the number of Australian casualties in the event of a war between the US and China, was answered that no documents existed. That reflects the true extent of our preparedness for war. Any avoidable military contest or conflict is folly.
Join with others to ensure there is a real change in direction for our foreign policy We need a defence force Not an offence force Not a base for the USA to wage yet another war www.ipan.org.au
Kellie Tranter is a lawyer, researcher, and human rights advocate. Kellie is one of 2 patrons of IPAN She tweets from @KellieTranter
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