By Denis Hay
Description
Richard Marles US war has anti-war voters turning against him. Learn why peace, sovereignty, and democracy are at stake in 2028.
Introduction
Darwin, 4:42 a.m., June 2025. KC-46 tankers lift off from RAAF Base Darwin, refuelling U.S. bombers returning from a strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Veteran Ron McKinnon, 71, stares from his porch. “Here we go again,” he mutters, haunted by his service in Iraq.
Just hours later, Defence Minister Richard Marles appears on ABC News: “Australia stands shoulder to shoulder with our ally.” Foreign Minister Penny Wong echoes him. But the public mood is shifting fast, as concerns over the Richard Marles US war agenda grow louder.
Problem: Australians no longer trust Canberra’s war decisions.
Agitate: The Iran strike has deepened fears of entanglement in endless U.S. wars.
Solution: Voters now demand a sovereign, peaceful defence policy – and they’re ready to make it an election issue.
PROBLEM – Public Trust Collapse Over U.S. Military Alignment
1. Polls Signal a Sea Change
- 40% of Australians now believe we should distance ourselves from the U.S. (Lowy Institute, 2025).
- Only 26% say we should follow the U.S. into military conflicts.
- 74% oppose involvement in a future war with Iran or China, reflecting a growing rejection of the Richard Marles US war direction.
2. The Trigger: Iran Strike
Australia’s support for the June 2025 U.S. strike on Iran shocked many voters. While the government called it a “measured response,” Australians viewed it as another unjustified conflict.
3. Personal Voices
Ella Tait, an ICU nurse from Newcastle, recalls messaging her brother at RAAF Tindal: “Are you being deployed?” He didn’t reply for hours. Online, #MarlesWarMachine trended as thousands shared anti-war posts.
“We save lives in hospitals, not bomb people across the world,” Ella said.
4. Strategic Concerns
- Pine Gap may have been used to assist the Iran targeting.
- Darwin and Tindal bases make Australia a first-strike target in future retaliations.
- Experts warn Australia’s role in U.S. wars increases – not decreases – our risk
Consequences of Following the U.S. War Machine
1. Economic Trade-Offs
- AUKUS subs will cost taxpayers $368 billion over 30 years.
- Meanwhile, public housing, health, and disaster funding suffer under the financial burden of the Richard Marles US war priorities.
- Australia’s dollar sovereignty means we don’t need to choose war over welfare, but our leaders are
2. Voter Backlash
- Greens, Teals, and Independents have made “Peace Vote” pledges.
- In 18 marginal electorates, candidates are calling for War Powers reform
- Many voters say: “If Marles won’t represent peace, we’ll find someone who will”, a clear repudiation of the Richard Marles US war stance.
3. Moral Injury
Every new conflict escalates demand for veterans’ services.
- Defence-linked trauma spikes 19% during combat support operations.
- Public sympathy for veterans turns into public anger at those who sent them
“It’s not anti-troop to be anti-war,” says veteran Ron. “It’s anti-stupidity.”
A Peace-First Defence Strategy
1. Use Australia’s Monetary Power for Peace
As a sovereign currency issuer, Australia can fund:
- Fire & flood resilience.
- National mental health services.
- Cyber defence and coastal radar
No foreign wars required.
2. Model Countries
- Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948 and outperforms neighbours on education & health.
- Austria maintains military neutrality and invests heavily in civil defence.
- Ireland avoids entangling alliances yet contributes to UN peacekeeping missions, offering a powerful contrast to Richard Marles US war framework.
3. A Legislative Blueprint
A new, independent body could investigate and publicly review Pine Gap’s involvement in past conflicts such as the Iraq and Iran strikes, both tied to Richard Marles US war alignment.
Peace Policy Roadmap: A legislative alternative to Richard Marles US war approach, focused on sovereignty, diplomacy, and the public good.
- Defence of Australia Act – Bans combat beyond 1,000nm (1,852km) without a referendum.
- War Powers Tribunal – Reviews Pine Gap’s role in Iraq & Iran.
- Universal Housing & Health Fund – Redirect defence funds toward social programs.
- Pacific Peace Office – Expands diplomacy and soft power in the region
Voter Toolkit
TheyVoteForYou.org.au – Track MP’s war powers votes.
Peace Vote Scorecard – Coming July 2028, this printable guide will rank candidates on their positions regarding U.S. wars, the Iran strike, and military independence.
Use it to: Identify candidates in your electorate, compare peace-first policies, and share with others before voting.
Postal Vote Plan – Vote early and informed.
Steps: Apply early via the AEC, review the Peace Vote Scorecard, cast your ballot from home without the pressure of last-minute campaigns, and post it back promptly.
Pro tip: Encourage friends and neighbours to do the same – early voting reduces fear-based tactics.
Quote Cards – Use these short, emotional quotes to spark discussion:
Share them on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Print and post in cafe’s, community boards, or at local events.
Use them in personal conversations to advocate for peace.
Quote Card #1 “Alliances should defend Australians, not draft them.” Ron McKinnon
Quote Card #2 ”Peace is patriotic when sovereignty is at stake.” Ella Tait
The 2028 Election as a Referendum on War
The Richard Marles U.S. war machine has become a liability. From Iran to AUKUS, Australians are demanding accountability, peace, and independence. As trust erodes, voters reject the Richard Marles US war strategy, calling for a complete redefinition of Australian defence priorities.
This election, they’re not just voting for candidates – they’re voting against wars they never agreed to.
Q&A – Your Questions Answered
Q1. Is it realistic for Australia to defend itself without U.S. support, especially given the growing criticism of Richard Marles US war dependency??
Yes. Independent defence strategies include advanced radar, sovereign missile systems, and civil defence training – all of which are affordable under our monetary sovereignty.
Q2. Could cutting military ties hurt trade?
Neutral nations, such as Switzerland and Austria, maintain robust trade by focusing on diplomacy and economic cooperation, rather than military alignment.
Q3. What is war powers reform?
It would require Parliament – not the Prime Minister – to authorise overseas combat. This puts war decisions in the hands of voters’ representatives.
CALL TO ACTION
Do you believe Australia should follow the U.S. into foreign wars, or reject Richard Marles US war agenda and chart an independent path?
Leave a comment, share your story, and join the Peace Vote movement.
Closing Engagement & Support Block
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References
Lowy Institute Poll 2025
ABC News – Australia backs U.S. strikes on Iran
9News – Wong backs U.S. Iran strikes
Guardian – Albanese endorses U.S. ceasefire plan
WSWS – Labor backs attack on Iran
This article was originally published on Social Justice Australia
Also by Denis Hay:
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There is no doubt that Australia now appears to the World as complicit and committed to USA’s continuing quest for World hegemony. As such, Australia becomes a legitimate target for any nation that suffers the illegal attacks of US military campaigns. Does it make a difference to Australia if neither Trump nor US Congress officially declares war prior to engagement with some hapless nation? Does such a “non-declaration” give Australia plausible deniability as our Minister for DEFENCE, (not OFFENCE), blithely looks away with a “…nothing to see here…” attitude? Mr Marles, your recent federal election mandate grants you responsibility for the DEFENCE of our sovereign territory – not involvement in the undeclared pre-emptive military activities of USA or any other nation for that matter. Both Iran and Indonesia are nations with large Islamic populations – was there any consideration for the sensitivities of these communities prior to allowing USA to use our facilities? Or are they just non-Causasian communities and therefore rank low on our scale of diplomacy? Australia’s peaceful future will be determined by our relationship with our Asian neighbours – not in North America or Europe.
Australia should be radically DISTANCING ITSELF from the war mongering, unhinged, mentally unstable political psychopath, Trump – a CONVICTED CRIMINAL – NOT rushing to join that lunatic in yet another one of America’s notorious dirty little wars! I just CANNOT BELIEVE that Richard Marles, Penny Wong and other stalwarts of the Labor Party are going against public opinion by siding with that lunatic, Trump, who displayed such a marked lack of respect and condescending contempt towards Australia, Canada and other (once) loyal allies! The ONLY thing Trump is achieving, with any level of success, is to MAKE AMERICA (and the world) HATE AGAIN!
What the ALP SHOULD BE DOING is telling Trump, in no uncertain terms, to “go to hell” and fight his own filthy little wars that they seem incapable of winning! NEVER FORGET that America (and their gullible allies) LOST the Vietnam war, the Afghani war and their ugly, illegal invasion of Iraq and Syria that achieved NOTHING except the complete, almost permanent, destablisation of the middle east!
The FACT is that Trump doesn’t give a shit about Australia or its allies – never has and never will – and only sees us as a source to attain an endless supply of CANNON FODDER to fight yet ANOTHER senseless war where the international BULLY, Trump, just wants to exercise his appalling level of aggressive megalomania as the worst, most corrupt and dangerously undemocratic fascist POTUS in American history!
Make no mistake about it, if Marles, Wong and the ALP continue down this path, it most DEFINITELY WILL cost them the next federal election when the HUGE MAJORITY of war-weary Australians will look around and support The Greens or other minor left-wing parties. It seems that the ALP are becoming more and more right-wing; more like the despicable, corrupt self-serving war mongers in the despised LNP! WTF has happened to the compassionate, peace-loving, anti-war left-wing political agenda instigated by the Whitlam, Keating and Gillard regimes? No wonder there are so many Australians out there who not only distrust BOTH major parties but are now so disillusioned and BITTERLY disappointed with the two ruling parties mismanaging our nation right now that we are ALL desperate for the NEXT federal election to roll around so we can vote BOTH of them into obscurity!
What should be TOP of our political agenda is the total shut-down and REMOVAL of Pine Gap which only makes our nation a vulnerable TARGET in any senseless war that the crazed sociopath, Trump, wants to pick a fight with! Trump’s DEMAND that WE spend more and more of our hard-earned taxpayer funds on weapons of war, defence and nuclear-powered submarines is yet MORE proof that this insidious psychopath will NEVER STOP trying to bully, harass and interfere in the politics and management of Australia in the same way he wants to illegally, literally and ruthlessly TAKE OVER Greenland an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark! My God! Ever since that hideous psychopath rose to the position as the worst, most dangerous and insanely irrational POTUS in American history, the world has, indeed, become a very, VERY dangerous place!
There is no doubt that Retched Mediocrity aka Richard Marles is the least competent senior member of the ALBANESE LABOR GOVERNMENT. As shown by his poorly timed deliberate faction fight to depose Dreyfus and Husic, he obviously has an ego bigger than his abilities and so remains intent upon becoming a future PM. Luckily for Australian voters there are numerous other natural leaders among the ranks of government who will in orderly time become PM for the benefit of Australian voters.
Retched Mediocrity appears to be following the Scummo route to post-politics employment within the international armaments industry by completing his apprenticeship of demanding too much spending upon armaments and involvement in American military escapades.
There is little doubt that TACO Trumpery aka Krasnov is an old age, demented misogynistic convicted felon, unfit for military service ”bone spurs” in Vietnam but willing to commit another generation of working class Americans to the slaughter-fields to benefit his billionaire backers.