IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, Promoting Peace, US-Australia Alliance,
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The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has released an Interim Report entitled A People’s Inquiry: Exploring the Case for an Independent and Peaceful Australia.  This Inquiry has investigated the costs and consequences of Australia’s involvement in US-led wars and the US-Australia Alliance.

The objective of the Inquiry was to encourage submissions from individuals and organisations on eight focus areas associated with the US-Australia Alliance – including social, political, military and defence, economic and environmental impacts – leading to a report that outlines a credible pathway towards achieving  a genuinely independent foreign policy for Australia. Continue reading IPAN – Interim Report on costs and consequences of the US-Australia Alliance released →

Online Raising Peace Festival – Recordings of events now available

International Day of Peace, Promoting Peace, , ,
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A successful online Raising Peace festival was held from 16th to 26th September 2021. It coincided with the world-wide observance of International Day of Peace held each year on 21st September.

The festival explored the significance that peace has for First Nations people, women, youth, refugees and the environment. It looked at the different ways that peace is defined and understand, from the absence of war to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and peacemaking. Importantly it sought to inspire and equip participants, both individually and collectively, to actively contribute to the cause of peace. Continue reading Online Raising Peace Festival – Recordings of events now available →

AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare

Defence Issues, Military Spending,
Nuclear powered submarine USS Houston in Apra Harbour, Guam. Click to enlarge.

A petition launched by Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) opposing the AUKUS Security Pact and entitled ‘No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare’ is currenty circulating. It states:

The behind closed door commitment of Australia to a trilateral security agreement with the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) and a submarine fleet shows a complete disregard for the democratic process and undermines sovereignty. Continue reading AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare →

76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021

Nuclear Weapons, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Hiroshima’s Genbaku Dome

On the 6th and 9th of August, community groups around the world will commemorate the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1945, the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6th August) and Nagasaki (9th August). Over the following two to four months, the effects of the atomic bombings killed between 90,000 and 146,000 people in Hiroshima and between 39,000 and 80,000 people in Nagasaki. Roughly half of these deaths occurred within 24 hours of these bombings. For months afterwards, large numbers of people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Most of the victims were civilians. Continue reading 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 6th and 9th August 2021 →

NAIDOC Week 2021

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,

NAIDOC Week 2021 will be held from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. Its acronym has now become the name of the week itself.

This year’s theme – Heal Country! – calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. It entails formal recognition that Indigenous people have been dispossessed and the implementation of specific programs designed to redress the grave social and economic disadvantage that has followed this dispossession. Continue reading NAIDOC Week 2021 →

Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution

Israel & Occupied Territories, Israel and Palestine

Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on 27 April 2021.

The 213-page report A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution describes how the Israeli government systematically privileges Jewish Israelis while repressing Palestinians, most severely in the occupied territory. Continue reading Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution →

Anzac Day Reflection 2021

Anzac Day, War Commemoration, , ,
Jennifer Newman – click to enlarge

This year’s Anzac Day Reflection was held in Richardson’s Lookout – Marrickville Peace Park.

The occasion offered participants an opportunity to remember the loss of Australian servicemen and women in WW1 and subsequent wars, along with the physical harm and psychological trauma suffered by others that served, as well as the grief endured by their families.

As the name suggests, however, Anzac Day Reflections aim to do more than recognise Australian casualties resulting from military service in foreign lands. In the spirit of genuine remembrance, they offer participants the opportunity to ask some hard questions, such as how our nation became involved in these wars, what purposes were actually being served, and what mistakes were made in prolonging hostilities. Continue reading Anzac Day Reflection 2021 →

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Under Threat

Aboriginal Affairs, ,
Source: insidestory.org.au

On 30 October 2020, Ken Wyatt AM MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, announced the beginning of the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Process.

Following this announcement, the Federal government launched stage two of the co-design process by releasing the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Process Interim Report (Interim Report) on 9 January 2021 and initiating a four-month consultation process.

Individuals, communities and organisations have been encouraged to provide feedback either by completing a survey or by making a formal submission. Submissions close on 31 March 2021 and the survey will close at the end of the engagement period on 9 May 2021.

Continue reading Indigenous Voice To Parliament Under Threat →

Sydney remembrance of Iraq invasion

Iraq War,
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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 →

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force on January 22, 2021!

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, , , ,

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters into force on Friday January 22, 2021.

So far the TPNW has gained 86 signatories and been ratified by 52 nations. The Treaty required a total of 50 ratifications before coming into force. The current list of signatories and ratifications can be viewed here.

To celebrate this historic achievement, a number of events are being organised in Australia and around the world.

Continue reading Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force on January 22, 2021! →

Inner West Council calls on Morrison government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, ,

At its last online meeting for the year on December 8, 2020, the Inner West Council endorsed the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons’ Cities Appeal.

MPG congratulates Council for endorsing ICAN’s Cities Appeal.

The global Cities Appeal states:

Our city/town is deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world. We firmly believe that our residents have the right to live in a world free from this threat. Any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have catastrophic, far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for people and the environment.

Continue reading Inner West Council calls on Morrison government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons →

Inquiry into War Crimes in Afghanistan

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, War Crimes

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) has welcomed the announcement that a special investigator will be appointed to probe allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and prosecute any criminal misconduct. This follows a four-year inquiry into possible breaches of law between 2005 and 2016.

In its media release, IPAN’s spokesperson, Dr Alison Broinowski, called on this process to be public and transparent and not determined behind closed doors.  The media release also called on the following measures to be adopted:

Continue reading Inquiry into War Crimes in Afghanistan →