The topic ‘Give ’em the boot! Time to close the US base in Darwin?’ was debated at Politics in the Pub on June 28, 2018.
Speakers at the event included Nick Deane (Give ’em the Boot Campaign) and Dr Andrew Mack (Lecturer in Political Economy of East Asia at the Boston University Sydney Academic Centre). YouTube videos of their presentations can be accessed here and here.
MPG has written to Sen. Marise Payne, Minister for Defence, again on the topic of the US marines that are routinely stationed in Darwin. The letter argues that the strategic reasons that the Australian government has given for the deployment are not sufficient to justify this development. It argues that hosting the armed forces of a foreign country represents an extraordinary departure from what has happened in the recent past – requiring a special explanation. The full text of the letter can be read here.
On March 29, 2018, MPG wrote to the Minister again asking what assurance the Australian government has that the US marines would not engage in military action on orders from Washington. The fear is that Australia would be powerless to prevent such an eventuality, so that no such assurance can be provided. The full text of the letter can be read here.
Representatives of groups affiliated with the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) met in Melbourne over the weekend of September 8-10, 2017. (MPG is an affiliate of IPAN and was represented at the conference by Nick Deane.) Continue reading 4th Annual Conference of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network