The Guardian 14 November, 2007
Liberals and ALP
condemned for silence on peace
In Townsville last Monday Mr. Rudd promised to continue the coalition’s policy of raising military spending by 3% per year for the next 5 years. Journalists did not ask why so much was to be spent on the military. Who are we going to attack or who is going to attack us? Members of the media meekly accept that we should go on spending ever more on the military without question.
Just as the ALP has betrayed its environmental supporters so too has it betrayed the peace movement in Australia. There is no attempt to have a serious debate on our exorbitant military spending.
At the Liberal Party election launch last Monday John Howard did not mention the war in Iraq once or the military spending or of any threats to Australia
On Monday the Prime Minister launched the election campaign of the Coalition parties. As the leader of a nation at war, setting out his vision for the future Howard did not mention the war for which he is responsible — not a single word.
During last weekend, however, the Central Committee of the Communist Party did raise the issue and adopted a press release to provoke media attention. The media release quoted CPA General Secretary as saying:
"On the anniversary of the ending of the carnage of World War I and in a week when arms inspector and disarmament expert Dr Hans Blix was awarded the prestigious Sydney Peace Prize, it is shameful that both Liberal and Labor Parties have been silent on the issues of nuclear disarmament and the cost of militarism.
"Dr. Blix headed the inspection team which told the world that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Australian Government joined the US and others in ignoring this inconvenient truth. As a consequence hundreds of thousands Iraqi and foreign civilians and troops have been killed. It is time to withdraw all Australian troops from Iraq.
"Neither party has had the courage to talk of reducing the military budget which has grown to over $20 billion a year. More is now spent on the military than on education," said Mr Symon in the media release.
"Australia’s military spending is 2.3 per cent of GNP but the government cannot find 0.7 per cent for foreign aid.
"The only country with the capacity to invade Australia is the United States, yet Australia is in the top 20 countries in the world for military spending.
"We condemn the Liberal and Labor parties for being swayed by the US to spend more on weapons than on social needs. With public health, hospitals and public schools all under great stress, spending $55 million a day on the military is criminal.
"We call on the Liberal and Labor parties to rethink their policies which tie our country into close co-operation with the US to the detriment of the Australian people and Australia’s independence.
"We call on them to abandon their aggressive military policies which serve US rather than Australian interests and to adopt instead a defensive policy which will be far more effective, less costly and will lead to better relations with our neighbours".
For more information, please contact Peter Symon on 02 9699 8844 or 0418 290 663