Sign Parliamentary e-Petition EN2725: Petition to criminalise war-mongering rhetoric by MPs

(The shorter actual text of the petition is at bottom)

Recently, Australian government ministers and members of parliament have used very inflammatory, careless, unnecessary rhetoric and discourse in relation to the risk of kinetic, hot war with China in the South China Sea and over Taiwan.

Examples including recent statements in the media by Assistant Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie, Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo, and Defence Minister Peter Dutton.

This kind of speech is childish, dangerous, careless, and unnecessary. It is made far more dangerous by the availability of globally accessible, real-time broadcast media and social media.

Both I and the (yet unregistered) Progress Party defend free speech and expression, and especially freedom of the press. However, speech by government ministers about the risk of hot, kinetic war with a great power like China requires special thought and consideration, and great care, under any circumstances. The abovementioned ministers have clearly not, in these cases of errant rhetorical brinkmanship, upheld their responsibilities and duty of care to the Australian people. Such behaviour is clearly a national security risk, and should be treated similarly to terrorist threats. Those ministers should be formally sanctioned, and in the future such abuse of government office should be made illegal.

I have petitioned the Upper House and President of the Senate, and any concerned ministers, to propose and pass parliamentary and federal legislation to criminalise and prohibit such irresponsible, incautious, and dangerous war-mongering brinkmanship and rhetoric by government ministers in the media and in parliamentary forums. Such talk is not necessary to send any kind of signal to potential enemies of our continent. It foolishly and unnecessarily elevates the risk of costly, and unethical, military actions in regions where our defence forces do not belong, and where they are interlopers in the domestic affairs of a great power. Those affairs are not Australia’s business, and are a distraction from very real domestic issues that are of genuine concern to Australians.

China has not proven to be any kind of enemy in any case. Without clearly ulteriorly, military-industrial motivated provocation by the United States and their CIA and Pentagon, there would be no risk of Australia becoming involved in any kind of armed conflict with China at all.

Brinkmanship and sabre-rattling rhetoric by government ministers risks the lives of everyday Australians, our defence force personnel, and the citizenry of both our regional neighbours and those of the nations of the South China Sea.

- Dr Bruce Long

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Actual text of petition EN2725

• Reason: Recently, government ministers and members of parliament have used very inflammatory, careless, and unnecessary rhetoric in relation to the risk of kinetic, hot war with China in the South China Sea. Examples including recent statements in the media by Assistant Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie, Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo, and Defence Minister Peter Dutton. This kind of speech is childish, dangerous, careless, and unnecessary. It is made more dangerous by the availability of globally accessible, real-time broadcast media and social media. Both I and the (yet unregistered) Progress Party defend free speech and expression, and especially freedom of the press. However, speech by government ministers about the risk of hot, kinetic war with a great power like China requires special thought and consideration, and great care, under any circumstances. The abovementioned ministers have clearly not, in these cases of errant rhetorical brinkmanship, upheld their responsibilities and duty of care to the Australian people. They should be formally sanctioned, and in the future such abuse of government office should be made illegal. Such talk is not necessary to send any kind of signal to potential enemies of our continent. It foolishly and unnecessarily elevates the risk of costly, and unethical, military actions in regions where our defence forces do not belong, and where they are interlopers.

• Request: We therefore ask the House to formulate and pass parliamentary and federal legislation to criminalise and prohibit such irresponsible, incautious, and dangerous war-mongering brinkmanship and rhetoric by government ministers in the media and in parliamentary forums.

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