Dear Prime Minister Abbott,
As your government prepares to extend RAAF bombing raids beyond Iraq into Syria, we ask you to reconsider this move before it is too late.
We call on you to hold a debate in Parliament on the impact of bombing on Australia’s national interests and on Syrian civilians, followed by a vote on any proposed military action.
Further, we urge you to seek and publish genuinely independent legal opinion as to the legality of this bombing under international law. This should make clear what Australia’s likelihood of success before the International Court of Justice would be if another party raised arguments against the legality of the bombing. The government should state that it will accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ should any other state seek to sue Australia in this matter. The government should seek a decision of the Federal Executive Council with an accompanying certificate as to the legality of the proposed action under international law.
The government’s objectives in bombing Syria should be made clear and evaluated against our moral obligation to preserve civilian life, together with the prospect that bombing will strengthen Islamic State, and will further divide the Australian community. The implications of a protracted war for Australian service-people and for Australia’s international standing should be canvassed.
Even showing support for the United States in such circumstances is the opposite of what a good ally should do. Australia would serve our common interests better by counselling America against becoming bogged down in another illegal, disastrous war.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Tim Anderson
Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
Dr Sally Attrill
Tasmanian Branch Coordinator, Medical Association for Prevention of War
Willy Bach
Peace scholar, Stand Fast veterans
Paul Barratt AO
President, Australians for War Powers Reform
Dr Margaret Beavis
President, Medical Association for Prevention of War
Alex Bell
Kay Binet
Jennifer Bond
MEDACT (Tasmanian branch of Medical Association for Prevention of War)
Dr Adam Broinowski
Dr Alison Broinowski
Vice-President, Australians for War Powers Reform
Annette Brownlie
Just Peace, and Independent and Peaceful Australia Network
Richard Butler AC
Nick Deane
Em Prof Bob Douglas AO
Director Australia21, and Visiting Fellow ANU
Dr Helen Caldicott
Andrew Farran
Treasurer, Australians for War Powers Reform
General (Retd) Peter Gration
Former Chief of the ADF
Assoc Professor Chris Hamer
Chairman, Institute for Global Peace and Sustainable Governance
Dr Marianne Hanson
Associate Professor of International Relations, School of Political Science & International Studies, The University of Queensland
Dr Judy Hemming
International Studies and International Development Faculty of Business, Governance and Law, University of Canberra
Dr Ann Kent
Visiting Fellow, ANU College of Law
Dr Bruce Kent
Emeritus Faculty, ANU
Tony Kevin
Dr Daryl Le Cornu
President, World Citizens Association Australia
Associate Professor Jake Lynch
Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney
Executive Member, Sydney Peace Foundation
Senior Research Fellow, School of Communication, University of Johannesburg
Colin MacKenzie
Emeritus Professor Frederick Mendelsohn AO
Medical Association for Prevention of War
Kellie Merritt
Social worker, widow of Flight Lt Paul Pardoel
Dr. Michael McKinley
Australian National University
Prof Rob Moodie AM
Professor of Public Health, University of Melbourne
Dr Douglas Newton
Historian
Dr Anne Noonan
NSW Branch Coordinator, Medical Association for Prevention of War
Hon Melissa Parke MP
Federal Labor Member for Fremantle
Allan Patience
Asia Institute, University of Melbourne
Josephine Petrov
Professor Richard Tanter
School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
Dr Josephine Topp
FRANZCP, Child and Adolescent psychiatrist
Noel Turnbull
Jo Vallentine
People for Nuclear Disarmament, Perth
Dr Karin von Strokirch
School of Humanities, University of New England, Armidale
Sarah Ann Strong
Dr Sue Wareham OAM
Secretary, Australians for War Powers Reform
Pera Wells
Member of the committee, Australians for War Powers Reform
Susanne Weress
Consultant clinical pharmacist/educator
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) field worker / Former director of MSF-Australia
Dr Bill Williams
Medical Association for Prevention of War
Dr Alex Wodak AM
President, Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation
Garry Woodard
School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
