The Minister of Defence Richard Marles is “firmly of the view” that the current war powers arrangements “are appropriate and should not be disturbed”. According to Marles, the current arrangements “enable the duly elected government of the day to act expeditiously on matters of utmost national importance in the interests of the safety and security of our nation and its people.”
Marles expressed his views in a late-September letter to fellow Labor MP Shayne Neumann, when referring the Inquiry into International Armed Conflict Decision Making to the The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, of which Mr Neumann is chair. In the letter, Mr Marles provides further background to his views:
“There is, however, an important role for public discussion and scrutiny, including by the Parliament, when the ADF is deployed into hostilities abroad. Governments have typically, as a matter of practice rather than necessity, provided explanations to the Parliament of their decisions to deploy the ADF into hostilities abroad. This has provided an important opportunity for scrutiny by the Parliament of such decisions.
I note that the aforementioned practice was substantively strengthened under the former Labor Government during Australia’s involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan. In 2009, then Defence Minister Faulkner committed to providing regular reports on Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan, a practice that was subsequently adhered to throughout the life of the former Labor Government. The frequency of such statements decreased significantly, however, from around 2014 onwards.”
