Parliament should have no say over Australia going to war

The Defence Department has bluntly opposed growing calls to strip or otherwise reduce the unilateral power of the prime minister to send the country to war or enter armed conflict without parliamentary approval or oversight.

The views of the department, justified by reference to what it called a “risk [of] significant adverse consequences” to national security, were relayed via a submission to the parliamentary inquiry examining reform of war powers.

In short, the department said any reform of the war powers could jeopardise security intelligence or otherwise risk the strategic position of the country.