Today, Senator Jordon Steele-John will move a motion in the Senate ordering the production of all documents related to Australia's decision to join the US-led coalition which invaded Iraq twenty years ago.
This order for the production of documents includes the following:
- The advice provided by the Department of Defence to the Prime Minister and Governor General concerning the decision to deploy the ADF to Iraq.
- The advice provided by the Attorney General to the Governor General and the Federal Executive Council in relation to the decision to deploy the ADF into Iraq
- Correspondence between the Department of Defence and the United States Embassy about the Iraq invasion in March 2003
These documents will provide valuable insight into the Howard Government's decision making which led Australia to join the US-led invasion of Iraq, a war that claimed over 600,000 lives and left millions displaced from their homes, according to some estimates.
Quotes attributed to Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for Peace and Foreign Affairs:
"Twenty years on from the catastrophic invasion of Iraq and the circumstances that led us there are still vague and shrouded in secrecy."
"Australians deserve to know who was making the decisions, what the basis for war was and whether any semblance of a legal process was even followed."
"Hundreds of thousands have died, millions have been displaced and millions more have been left with lasting trauma. This was all based on a choice made in Australia's name that lacks any accountability, form of transparency or oversight. "
"The decision-making process for sending the ADF to war requires major reform. I sincerely hope that the Labor government takes the opportunity to share with the community how such a devastating decision was made and what needs to change to ensure it never happens again."
"These documents will provide valuable insight into what the Howard government knew, the time in which they knew it, and exactly what mechanism and authority they used to deploy Australian troops to Iraq, four of whom never came home".
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