Labor review to test whether MPs have a say on war

An Albanese government would launch a wide-ranging inquiry into how Australia makes decisions to go to war, under a resolution to be voted on at next week’s national conference.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese, centre, in Adelaide on Friday with MPs Tony Zappia, left, and Blair Boyer. Picture: Morgan Sette

An Albanese government would launch a wide-ranging inquiry into how Australia makes decisions to go to war, under a resolution to be voted on at next week’s national conference.

The inquiry, to be held by the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade, would consider whether there should be parliamentary debates before a decision is made to go to war.

It would also likely consider whether there should be a vote of parliament before sending troops to war, although sources say there would be little support for this proposal within Labor.

The amendment, sponsored by senior Left faction MPs Josh Wilson and Julian Hill, resolves that “an Albanese government will refer the issue of how Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict to an inquiry”.

“This inquiry would take submissions, hold public hearings and produce its findings during the term of the 47th parliament,” the resolution says. Parliament is able to veto executive government from committing to a conflict in Britain and the US.

Mr Wilson said he would move an “up-to-date” version of a similar resolution that was passed at the 2018 national conference. “(I) look forward to its consideration,” he said.

In 2019, Anthony Albanese outlined his concern about a lack of transparency and parliamentary debate over decisions to go to war.

“I understand there are those who passionately believe that a parliamentary vote should precede the deployment of our troops in conflict overseas,” Mr Albanese said in his third vision statement after becoming Labor leader.

“I also understand there is a long tradition of the executive making these decisions alone.

“Our parliamentarians should, at the very least, be given the chance to express their view following a cabinet decision to go to war — like the two days of parliamentary debate Bob Hawke allowed after his cabinet decided to join the first Gulf War.

“We can’t ask people to put their lives on the line if we as legislators are too afraid to put our arguments on the line.”

The key foreign policy argument at national conference is likely to centre around the conditions for a Labor government recognising Palestine as a state and calling out human rights concerns about China.

Mr Hill will also push a resolution for Labor to call on the government to do “everything to ensure that Julian Assange is treated fairly and humanely”.

“The UK court has found that Mr Assange should not be extradited to the USA given his ill-health, and Labor believes it is now time for this long, drawn-out case against Julian Assange be brought to an end,” the resolution says.