Wednesday 28 October 2020

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Jordon Steele-John has called for Defence to make both the Crompvoets report, and the Department's response, public amid disturbing and shameful allegations of murder and torture were reported today in the nine newspapers.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt has today said the government's commitment to spend over $270 billion on defence would not make Australia safer and was a reprehensible use of public money while people are still living in tents in Eden-Monaro and suffering poverty in Australia.

“Spending billions more on weapons won’t make Australia safer and may in fact increase tensions in the region. This move will just add to increasing militarisation in our neighbourhood,” said Mr Bandt.

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has reiterated his calls to fundamentally restructure our defence force, after a speech prepared for ADF Chief Angus Campbell - released under FOI - warned climate change could stretch our capacity and had the potential to "exacerbate conflict".

Senator Steele-John agreed climate change was the biggest threat in our region and said preparing our defence force for the impacts - food and water shortages, increasing natural disasters and mass displacement of people - must be an absolute priority.

The passage of laws to make it easier for Governments to use the army within Australia is a dangerous step for our country, Greens Justice spokesperson Nick McKim said.

“Armies are not primarily trained for policing situations. They are trained to fight wars,” Senator McKim said.

“It is police forces that are trained primarily to maintain order and to keep the peace domestically in our country.”

“This legislation further blurs the lines between police forces and the Australian Defence Force, and is certain to be abused by authoritarian governments in the future.” 

The increased use of the Defence Force on Australian streets is deeply concerning, Australian Greens Justice spokesperson Nick McKim says.

“Legislation to make it easier to call out the Defence Force is a worrying and dangerous development,” Senator McKim said.

“Yet again, the Government has introduced major national security legislation without demonstrating the need or making the case as to how it would make Australians safer.”

“This is a serious and fundamental change to domestic policing arrangements, and to the way security forces interact with the public.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to commit Australian troops to a possible war against North Korea puts Australia at risk and shows why Parliament needs to urgently pass a war powers act and renegotiate the alliance with the United States, said leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale and Greens Defence Spokesperson Sen. Peter Whish-Wilson.