Home Affairs secretary warns that Australia must prepare to send troops to fight

Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo - who is soon tipped to move to Defence - says we must all brace for the “curse of war” as tensions with China rise.

Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo has used his Anzac Day address to warn the “drums of war’’ are beating and that Australia is bracing “for the curse of war’’.

Sent to all Home Affairs staff, Mr Pezzullo said we must “continue to search unceasingly for the chance for peace”, the Australian reported.

“Today, as free nations again hear the beating drums and watch worryingly the militarisation of issues that we had, until recent years, thought unlikely to be catalysts for war, let us continue to search unceasingly for the chance for peace while bracing again, yet again, for the curse of war,” he was reported to have written.

“In a world of perpetual tension and dread, the drums of war beat – sometimes faintly and distantly, and at other times more loudly and ever closer.

“On this Anzac Day … let us remember the warnings of two American generals who had known war waged totally, and brutally: we must search always for the chance for peace amidst the curse of war, until we are faced with the only prudent, if sorrowful, course — to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight the nation’s wars.

“The least that we can do for the host of the dead whom we remember today is to be prepared to face equivalent challenges with the same resolve and sense of duty that they displayed in years past.”

Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, has warned of potential war with China. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Pezzullo did not mention specific countries in his Anzac Day address, but it comes as the relationship between Australia and China was further fractured after Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal with Beijing.

Deploying Australia’s powerful new veto powers under legislation passed last year for the first time, the Federal Government ended the deal, warning it was against Australia’s interests.

“I consider these four arrangements to be inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations in line with the relevant test in Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020,’’ Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

“I will continue to consider foreign arrangements notified under the Scheme. I expect the overwhelming majority of them to remain unaffected. I look forward to ongoing collaboration with states, territories, universities and local governments in implementing the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.”

China quickly hit back at Australia over what it called an “unreasonable and provocative move”.

In a statement, a Chinese Embassy spokesman slammed the decision which is expected to plunge the fractured relationship into greater acrimony.

“We express our strong displeasure and resolute opposition to the Australian Foreign Minister’s announcement on April 21 to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation within the Framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the related Framework Agreement between the Chinese side and Government of Victoria,” the spokesman said.

“This is another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China. It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself.”