All posts by Nick Deane

“War or Peace?” Town Hall Meeting – 19th March 2023

AUKUS Security Pact, Iraq War, US-China Relations, War Powers Reform, , , , , , , ,
Click photo to enlarge

In sweltering conditions, around 320 community members packed the Marrickville Town Hall on Sunday 19th March, to hear a number of speakers discuss the AUKUS (Australia, UK and US) security pact and the current trajectory of Australia’s foreign and defence policies.

Mary Kostakidis, who facilitated the meeting organised by MPG, conducted a revealing interview with retired Col. Lawrence Wikerson (former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell). Col. Wilkerson joined the meeting via a video link from Virginia in the U.S. Continue reading “War or Peace?” Town Hall Meeting – 19th March 2023 →

Sydney remembrance of Iraq invasion

Iraq War,
Click to enlarge

March 20th, 2021, is the 18th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. That invasion was unnecessary, illegal and contrary to the UN Charter – yet Australia joined it. The outcome was the destabilisation of the Middle East that continues to this day.

Marrickville Peace Group has called a rally to demonstrate the fact that it has not forgotten (and will not forget) what was a shameful day.

Join the rally from 2.00pm, Saturday March 20, 2021 in Town Hall Square, Sydney.

Celebration of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’s entry into force

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, , , ,

The Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force on January 22, 2021.  Antoinette Riley (pictured holding the Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017) was amongst members of MPG who attended an event to celebrate the occasion in Martin Place (Sydney). They heard Gem Romuld (Director of ICAN Australia) who explained that the event in Sydney was just one of more than 150 similar events taking place around the globe.

Continue reading Celebration of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’s entry into force →

Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020

Defence Issues, , ,

A controversial Bill entitled the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020, is to be debated in the Senate.

According to lawyer Kelly Tranter, if the legislation is enacted it would authorise the use of foreign military and police forces and would give them the same immunity from legal liabilities as Australian forces. Tranter writes: “The use of a foreign army or militarised police force should not be allowed at all, and certainly not without the safeguard of citizens’ rights of access to courts.”1

Continue reading Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020 →