Bryan Dawe sits at his desk. John Clarke enters in a suit, slightly hurried, carrying a reusable shopping bag with “ALBO” written on it in texta.
Dawe: Mr Albanese, thank you for coming in.
Clarke: Always a pleasure, Bryan. Happy to speak to the Australian people. Transparency is very important to me.
Dawe: Let’s start with the troops.
Clarke: Certainly.
Dawe: The ones you sent to the Middle East.
Clarke: Yes.
Dawe: Without telling anyone.
Clarke: We told the relevant people.
Dawe: Who were they?
Clarke: The people it was relevant to tell.
Dawe: And who was that?
Clarke: I’m not able to go into that for reasons of operational security.
Dawe: So not the public.
Clarke: The public is represented through appropriate channels.
Dawe: Which are?
Clarke: The appropriate ones.
Dawe: Right. And these troops.
Clarke: Elements of our defence capability.
Dawe: The SAS.
Clarke: I’m not going to confirm or deny specific units.
Dawe: The SAS.
Clarke: I’m not going to confirm that.
Dawe: The SAS.
Clarke: Nor deny it.
Dawe: The same SAS examined by the Brereton Inquiry.
Clarke: The Brereton Inquiry dealt with historical matters.
Dawe: Which were noted.
Clarke: Appropriately.
Dawe: And acted on.
Clarke: Through appropriate processes.
Dawe: At the appropriate time.
Clarke: Exactly.
Dawe: Which is when.
Clarke: These things take time, Bryan.
Dawe: You’ve sent them back.
Clarke: We have deployed elements of our defence capability.
Dawe: Back into a war zone.
Clarke: Into an operational environment.
Dawe: Did Parliament approve this?
Clarke: Parliament has been kept informed.
Dawe: Before or after.
Clarke: (pause) Parliament is part of an ongoing consultative process.
Dawe: With yourself.
Clarke: With relevant stakeholders.
Dawe: Right.
(pause)
Dawe: On the first day of the conflict, a missile struck a girls’ primary school in southern Iran.
Clarke: That is a very concerning report.
Dawe: It killed a large number of children.
Clarke: Any loss of innocent life is a tragedy.
Dawe: And Australia provides intelligence through Pine Gap.
Clarke: Pine Gap is a joint facility that serves important strategic functions.
Dawe: For the people firing the missiles.
Clarke: It operates under longstanding arrangements.
Dawe: Which we can’t discuss.
Clarke: Certain aspects are classified.
Dawe: So we can’t discuss the troops.
Clarke: Operational matters.
Dawe: We can’t discuss Pine Gap.
Clarke: Classified matters.
Dawe: We can’t discuss the parliamentary process.
Clarke: Procedural matters.
Dawe: What can we discuss?
Clarke: Australia’s position is very clear.
Dawe: Which is?
Clarke: We support the United States.
Dawe: In what.
Clarke: In acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Dawe: Did Iran have one?
Clarke: That is a matter of intelligence assessment.
Dawe: Your own intelligence said they didn’t.
Clarke: Intelligence evolves.
Dawe: Does it evolve before or after the missiles.
Clarke: It is a dynamic process.
(pause)
Dawe: The United States is also imposing tariffs on Australia.
Clarke: We are engaged in constructive discussions.
Dawe: While supporting their war.
Clarke: While maintaining our alliance.
Dawe: While petrol prices rise.
Clarke: The global energy situation is complex.
Dawe: And the supermarket.
Clarke: Supply chains are under pressure.
Dawe: And the pharmacy.
Clarke: We are monitoring the situation closely.
Dawe: While sending troops you haven’t announced to a war you haven’t explained.
Clarke: Bryan, I want to be very clear.
Dawe: Please.
Clarke: Australia believes in the rules-based international order.
(long pause)
Dawe: That’s the explanation.
Clarke: And the importance of alliances in maintaining stability.
Dawe: Of course.
(pause)
Dawe: Mr Albanese, are you aware that John Howard did this.
Clarke: Did what.
Dawe: Backed a United States war. No evidence. No mandate. No legal basis. Said all the same things.
Clarke: (pause) I am nothing like John Howard.
Dawe: No.
Clarke: John Howard was a conservative who put his political interests ahead of the Australian people.
Dawe: (nods) Right.
(longer pause)
Clarke: (quietly) I have another engagement.
Dawe: Of course.
Clarke: But I want to assure Australians that everything we are doing is being done with full regard for their—
Dawe: Transparency.
Clarke: — safety and security.
Clarke exits. He leaves the shopping bag behind.
Dawe looks at camera.
Dawe: The Prime Minister of Australia.
(pause)
Dawe: He left his shopping.
(pause)
Dawe: We’re paying for it.
Keep Independent Journalism Alive – Support The AIMN
Dear Reader,
Since 2013, The Australian Independent Media Network has been a fearless voice for truth, giving public interest journalists a platform to hold power to account. From expert analysis on national and global events to uncovering issues that matter to you, we’re here because of your support.
Running an independent site isn’t cheap, and rising costs mean we need you now more than ever. Your donation – big or small – keeps our servers humming, our writers digging, and our stories free for all.
Join our community of truth-seekers. Please consider donating now via:
PayPal or credit card – just click on the Donate button below
Direct bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
We’ve also set up a GoFundMe as a dedicated reserve fund to help secure the future of our site.
Your support will go directly toward covering essential costs like web hosting renewals and helping us bring new features to life. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us keep improving and growing.
Thank you for standing with us – we truly couldn’t do this without you.
With gratitude, The AIMN Team
I love it, was it a secrete recording?
The SMH 060426 reports that NO-GO-ALBO has been invigorated by ON to become LET’S-GO-ALBO and is forsaking his administrative caution and concentrated inaction to reach out to voters as a display of ”caring for Australian families”.
So with Australian voters reaching for a political party where adultery, alcoholism and philandering appear to be pre-requisites for the all male chorus for the Retching (Bottle) Redhead while policies are a one-line quip, the future remains in fragile hands.
Will the coming 2026 LABOR feral Budget deliver:
1) the necessary limitations on Negative Gearing (NG) to one investment property per natural person;
2) limit NG to ”new build” properties to increase the available renting portfolio and allow a ”used homes” market sector to develop;
3) exclude foreign private investment corporations from tax incentives that together with the (very favourable to them) International Exchange Rate gift huge, investment returns to overseas shareholders as ever increasing rents for Australian tenants and capital gains are exported without benefit to Australian voters.
4) Return CGT to pre-Howard levels to fund more social housing, especially in regional & remote population centres.
Here is a relevant reference (060426) to the state of the Australian economy under the skilled guidance of Dr Jim Chalmers.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/specialists-refuse-to-correctly-diagnose-best-economy-ever,20897
Now how much did Anus Faylure receive for the empty glass of MDB water?? Was it eight dollars or $80 MILLION??
Cocky, if half arsed Albo does anything even remotely worthwhile,It’ll be a revelation of biblical proportions.And Timid Tony ain’t no prophet.
As for Anus of the landed gentry, stealing a lazy $80 million is merely the birthright of the squatter class,after all, what’s left of the Libs are only a well dressed Mafia, that favour polo over murder.