83. Dr Alison Broinowski - How Australia goes to war and the prospect of war powers reform

The Voices of War

My guest today is Dr Alison Broinowski AM, who is an Australian academic, journalist, writer, and former Australian diplomat. She is also the President of Australians for War Powers Reform. Alison joined me to explore the current debate on Australian troop deployment, compare it to other democracies, and discuss the possible outcome of the ongoing parliamentary enquiry into war powers. Some of the topics we discussed are: · Alison's background and motivation for war powers reform · Changes in Australian defence policy during Prime Minister Howard's tenure · Impact of Global War on Terror on defence and foreign policy · The current approval process for military interventions · Proposed changes to the war approval process and potential impact · Benefits of a parliamentary vote for accountability · Risks of inaction and views on Responsibility to Protect (R2P) · Reflection on US hegemony and ANZUS treaty misunderstandings · Arguments against war powers reform · Possible impacts of Australian involvement in US-led wars · Parliamentary inquiry outcome and report release timing · Alison's greatest fears if war powers remain unchanged