- The Guardian
- Issue #2193
On 26 May, 14 WA community and political groups joined forces to protest the Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference – Exhibition (IODS) at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC).
The conference and exhibition were hosted by the WA government and Defence West. It is devastating for many people in the state that it was revealed last week that the Cook Labor government will spend $11.4 million of taxpayers’ money on security alone for Land Forces in October. We don’t yet know how much the IODS is costing West Australians. The publicity now cites 240+ exhibitors and 4,800 visitors.
The PCEC was declared a security area under Section 69 of the Criminal Investigation Act. The protest took place in a barricaded area off the Summer Gardens.
The IODS is viewed as the Indian Ocean regional biannual spruik of militarism and the latest weapons of war and destruction, China fear-mongering, a trade fair for the latest weapons of war, all to delude us that the US is our saviour.
The conference comes ahead of the imminent arrival of more than 1,200 US and UK navy personnel and their families in the Rockingham area from 2027.
Rather than prioritise social needs of housing, health, NDIS, and education, and combatting climate change and the threat of nuclear war as our greatest security threats, our taxpayer dollars continue to be poured into militarisation. AUKUS, at an estimated $368 billion, further embeds us into the US war machine.
Defence has just named global US weapons corporation, Lockheed Martin as the partner for the weapons system integration of Australia’s new AUKUS submarines while another US weapons monster, Raytheon has the contract for the SeaRAM for Australia’s Mogami frigates. Also on the cards is a squadron of US B-21 Raid bombers to the tune of AU$25-30 billion.
Senator Jordon Steele-John addresses the demonstration
Furthermore, Australia’s Future Fund has dramatically increased our taxpayer investment in genocide-enabling companies Palantir, Lockheed Martin and Elbit; many of our super funds have a strong investment portfolio in weapons companies.
Greens WA MLC Sophie McNeill addressed the event. She says it’s “outrageous” that the Cook Labor government has signed up our beautiful little part of the world to be a cog in the US war machine. McNeill called it “deeply shameful” that WA Labor is cosying up to the US military.
Event MC Sam Wainwright, a founding member of both Stop AUKUS WA and WA Anti-War Collective says “The push by the state and federal governments to make Australia a major weapons exporter is making the world a more dangerous place. It ties Australia into a weapons production chain with the Trump regime, which has openly declared its intention to disregard international law, as well as prop up serial human rights abusers such as Israel and the UAE. Security for the Australian people is best secured through a foreign policy based on peace and justice in the world, not allying with dictators and war criminals.”
Student Josh Last said “Australia shamelessly invests in the perpetuation of the killing machine mentality; brain washing primary and high school students with glittering, mind boggling weapons and war machines and pushing a career in our troubled defence forces – we’ll no doubt see them lining up at the IODS Career Day on the 28th May.”
UWA and Curtin university are exhibitors – proudly promoting the infiltration of defence and weapons companies on campus.
The role of critical minerals in Defence and the consequent exploitation of our First Nations mining land is also on the IODS agenda.
Unionist, National President of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and founding member of the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society, ACFS in WA, Vinnie Molina spoke about peace as union business, Australia’s paranoia about China and our US AUKUS and Alliance partners’ ongoing blockade of Cuba and current alarming threat to topple yet another sovereign state.
Not in our Name! Protect our Planet and People – not the pockets of merchants of death! No AUKUS! No War!
