Greens defense spokesman David Shoebridge has accused the Albanese government of preparing to drag Australia into war with Iran "by deception and stealth," echoing the playbook that led to the Iraq invasion two decades ago.
In comments to The Guardian, Shoebridge warned that Australia is on the verge of joining U.S. military operations without proper parliamentary debate or public consent—the exact pattern that characterized Australia's disastrous involvement in Iraq.
"We're seeing the same script play out," Shoebridge said. "Vague talk about 'supporting our allies,' incremental military deployments, and before we know it, we're at war without ever having the conversation about whether we should be."
The warning comes as the Albanese government considers requests from Washington for military support in the Persian Gulf. While officials insist no decisions have been made, defense sources suggest Australian surveillance aircraft and naval assets could be deployed within weeks.
Mate, we've been here before. Australia has a long history of following America into wars we later regret. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan—each time we're told it's about alliance obligations and regional security. Each time we discover the justifications were thinner than we thought.
