Petition by Greens MPs: ‘Stop the Bombing’ – launched Sep 17, 2015

Status: Closed

Greens MPs are calling on the new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to reverse Tony Abbott’s recent decision to bomb ISIS targets in Syria. Below is the text of the petition:

“Malcolm Turnbull, when he announced he was challenging Tony Abbott, said that the “captain’s calls” must stop. The most reckless of these was begging the United States to ‘ask’ for Australia’s involvement in bombing missions inside Syria.

This is Mr Turnbull’s first … opportunity to show he’s learned from the mistakes of his predecessors.

Please add your voice to our message to the new Prime Minister: the bombing must stop.”

You can access the petition here.

Notes

1. Statement by Professor Amin Saikal (Director, ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies):
“The expansion of Australian air operations into Syria is unlikely to make much of a difference in defeating ISIS. Reversely, it could help the Assad regime which is also responsible for conflict and human tragedies that have been inflicted on Syria. The region does not need more bombs and human misery but a strategy that addresses the root causes that give rise to extremist groups.” (ANU, Sep 9, 2015).
2. Statement by Sen. Scott Ludlum (Australian Greens):
“Prime Minister Turnbull has the opportunity now to reverse the most disastrous of Tony Abbott’s ‘captain’s calls’. There is no more serious responsibility than the deployment of our armed service personnel. Until and unless there is a clear plan for a way forward, all we’re accomplishing in Syria is putting more civilians at risk.” (‘Our Hornets Should Be Flying Home’, Sep 16, 2015). Read the full statement here.

Petition by Canberra Airport Group: ‘We call on you to stop arms industry promotion at Canberra Airport’ – launched Aug 23, 2015

Status: Closed

MPG is currently supporting a petition opposing advertisements by arms manufacturers at Canberra Airport. The petition was launched by the new community campaign, No Airport Arms Ads (NAAA).

The petition begins: “If you ever come through Canberra Airport, one of the main gateways to our national capital, you are likely to receive a “welcome” from some of the world’s biggest arms manufacturers. Raytheon, BAE, Lockheed Martin, and ThyssenKrupps have all had big display ads there.”

Apparently Austal is also there, proudly stating that its vessels are “delivering Australia’s border patrol capability”.

Among the reasons given for opposing the ads are:

• They help to normalise warfare and big military spending, and present a sanitised image of what weapons do.
• They are inappropriate for refugees and others from war-torn countries, and inconsistent with Canberra’s new status as a Refugee Welcome Zone.

You can access the closed Avaaz petition here.

A total of 1,203 signatures were collected.

Notes

1. More information on NAAA’s campaign can be found here.
2. Read Joan Beaumont’s article on the controversy here.