IPAN is greatly concerned about Australia’s continued involvement in United States-led wars. Australia is blessed by a remarkably defensible geography, and faces no credible threat of major attack, let alone invasion. Yet our military forces have been on deployment in US wars of choice in Asia, the Middle East and Afghanistan for decades. This involvement has come at great cost – to our soldiers, and to civilians, the infrastructure and the economy in those countries where the wars have raged – and in some cases still rage. In addition, there is a cost to the Australian economy, and to our international reputation.
The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) invites you to participate in a national public inquiry into the costs and consequences of the Australia-US Alliance for the Australian people, and invites proposals in relation to measures that could assist in achieving a genuinely independent and peaceful foreign policy for Australia.
Primary aim: To facilitate a deep conversation and engagement with the broader Australian community in order to determine a path forwards towards a genuinely independent and peaceful foreign policy for Australia; to ensure a more just allocation of Australian government resources.
Secondary aim: To produce and promote a public report which outlines the views of those Australians who hold concerns about the US Alliance and which details the steps to be taken to ensure a genuinely independent and peaceful foreign policy for Australia.
This Inquiry will gather information and consider all of the possible costs and consequences of the Australia-US Alliance, including the economic, social, environmental and political impacts. The inquiry will be a way for organisations and individuals across Australia to contribute to a national conversation. The inquiry will be overseen by a panel of respected experts and community representatives who will receive written and verbal submissions and contribute to the publication of a final report to be widely publicised.
Submissions will be accepted during the period from 26 November to 31 July 2021, when organisations and individuals can deliver written submissions (where possible). Where submissions cannot be in writing, individuals/organisations will be able to meet 1-1 with an assistant/IPAN Coordinating Committee member and provide an oral submission.
The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry will be/are available on the IPAN Inquiry Website, and written submissions can be emailed to: inquiry@ipan.org,au
From August – October 2021, the Inquiry Panel will consider all submissions and will write up a report based on the seven themes of the inquiry. It is planned that the report will be finalised by the end November 2021.
IPAN trusts that the outcome of this inquiry will be a powerful and collective voice towards developing a genuinely independent foreign policy for Australia and a more just allocation of Australian government resources.