Australia launches inquiry into declassified deocuments on Iraq war

Shafaq News / Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ordered an inquiry on Wednesday into the reason behind the non-disclosure of "declassified" documents issued by the government 20 years ago concerning Australia's involvement in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Albanese stated that Australians have the right to know the reasons behind their country's participation in the 2003 war.

The Australian National Archives released Cabinet documents from 2003 on Monday following the annual practice on January 1 after the expiration of the 20-year secrecy period. However, the Archives withheld 78 documents relating to the Iraq war due to their preparation for the "National Security Committee", a subcommittee making decisions related to national security and foreign policy.

Australia's involvement in the war was based on a decision by this committee.

Albanese accused the previous conservative government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, of failing to follow the usual practice of handing all documents over to the National Archives three years before their scheduled disclosure.

He announced the appointment of retired public servant Denis Richardson to investigate whether the documents were withheld for political cover-up purposes within two weeks.

Morrison's government decision to deploy Australian combat troops to support US and UK forces in the Iraq invasion was opposed by the Labor Party, to which Albanese belongs, at the time, sparking the largest protests seen in Australia since the Vietnam War.

Albanese stated, "The National Archives should publish the documents once they have been examined to search for any national security-related issues that might exempt them from the rules governing publication after 20 years."

He addressed journalists, "Let me be very clear about my government's position: Australians have the right to know the basis upon which our government went to war in Iraq. If that does not happen, we will look at whether further action by the government is necessary to ensure transparency."

The National Archives stated that it "will decide whether or not to release the documents within 90 days. We received the documents on New Year's Eve, and we prioritize reviewing them."