Date & time
Venue
Phillipa Weeks Staff Library, ANU College of Law
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Event description
The Minister for Defence has referred to the parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Trade and Defence the question how Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict. The decision to go to war is arguably the most important decision any government can make. Yet it is the least regulated of any government decision. We have all observed the many hours of parliamentary debate and back room negotiation on controversial legislation. Yet the Prime Minister alone can decide to send Australian service personnel into international armed conflicts. How can this be? Is this consistent with our democracy? How do similar countries deal with the decision to go to the war? What are the alternatives? These are some of the issues to be explored.
Speakers
Ernst Willheim
Ernst Willheim is an Honorary professor at the ANU College of Law. prior to his retirement he was a senior officer of the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. he established the Office of general Counsel and was its first head, led other policy divisions, led numerous Australian delegations to international conferences, appeared as counsel for the Commonwealth and has published on a wide range of public, international law refugee and indigenous issues.