A Labor MP who asked to remain anonymous told MWM that he was “not in favour of the Parliament being required to provide approval before the Executive can engage in armed conflict.” However, he thinks there should be some reform to the current procedures relating to the armed forces and parliament. He provided the following statement to MWM:
“I do believe there should be a formal requirement whereby the Executive (and Military and Intelligence commanders) must consult with designated representatives of the Legislature, both in peacetime and in times of conflict, with a Joint Standing Committee having wide powers of investigation and inquiry, including for the provision of documents. MPs and Senators on the JSC would of course be subject to various national security obligations, but importantly they must be first and foremost representatives of the Legislature and not the Executive. This body exists in part already but its remit needs to go further.
In a perfect world the Parliament would sign off on a decision to enter armed conflict but the realities of modern warfare make this problematic at best and impossible at worst. We rarely formally declare war any more via emissaries, and many armed conflicts are with non-state actors. Modern conflict requires more flexibility and an ability to rapidly respond to changing circumstances. I do believe that once conflict is entered into, the Executive, Military and Intelligence arms should be subject to scrutiny by the Legislature, with less scope than there is now for censorship.”
