Alongside the stated question, ‘what are the costs and consequences of Australia’s involvement in US-led wars and the US-
alliance?’ , we believe that there is also an imperative need to provide sustainable, creative ideas that counteract the multiple deficits of such ‘costs and consequences’.

It is our belief that, in order to move towards an independent and peaceful Australia, there is a fundamental need to provide,
promote and present, alternative ways of engaging with destructive conflict and the negative, recurring outcomes of violent war.
We therefore assert, and advocate for, the inclusion of educational programs about peace and nonviolence right across the whole
range of school systems in Australia.
This would take the form of designing and delivering appropriate curricula at each level of schooling.
The United Nations has initiated, and sponsors annually, an International Day of Peace on September 21st. The theme for 2021
is: Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world. This is a closely aligned theme for promoting a serious study and
conversation with a range of key stakeholders about the desire to ‘teach peace’ intentionally, and comprehensively, from an early
age.
This year, the UN invites and inspires us: ‘to think creatively and collectively about how to help everyone recover better, how to
build resilience, and how to transform our world into one that is more equal, more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and
healthier.’ (un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace)
Are there people and organisations in Australia that would respond to this invitation and begin (or continue) this conversation by
engaging with such a question as:
How do we educate well for an independent and peaceful Australia?