Sue Wareham
Dr Sue Wareham OAM has spoken and written widely on peace and disarmament issues, and is President of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia). She is a former Canberra GP. FB: @MAPWAustralia, T: @MAPW_Australia
Sue's recent articles
12 February 2025
Australia's words on Gaza a far cry from its deeds
Last week, the Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) wrote to Foreign Minister Wong expressing shock and outrage that Australia had not openly protested US President Trump’s 4 February statement of intent to erase Gaza.
10 January 2025
Israel’s total destruction of a whole healthcare system threatens us all
In December 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, warned in relation to the situation in Gaza that “the practice of medicine is under attack” and “we are in the darkest time for the right to health in our lifetimes”. More than a year later, and with the killing by Israel of more than 1000 Palestinian health professionals and near total destruction of a whole healthcare system, that catastrophic reality now casts an even greater shadow over humanity.
21 December 2024
Fear-mongering claims masquerading as facts protect AUKUS from parliament’s scrutiny
The battle is on to see which side of politics can boast of siphoning the most profits to the weapons industry - at the expense of health, education, climate and environmental action, and everything else we need – and of bowing more obsequiously before the US and its war machine.
20 July 2024
Health leaders call for University of Melbourne to drop disciplinary action against students
In an open letter, health leaders have urged the University of Melbourne to drop disciplinary action against 21 students involved in activism for Gaza.
22 June 2024
Counting the environmental toll of war – and why peace is a climate solution
One’s immediate thought on looking at any of the multitude of photos of the devastation of Gaza is a profound sense of sorrow and grief at the capacity of humans to wreak such destruction and suffering.
7 April 2024
Podcast: Healthcare, Australia and the War on Gaza
Dr Sue Wareham OAM, President of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia) talks with Helen McCue AM, recently awarded the Jerusalem peace prize for forty-one years of passionate advocacy and support for Palestine, through her work as founder of Union Aid Abroad APHEDA. They discuss the destruction of medical facilities in Israel's war on Gaza, the shredding of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the urgent need for Australian government and civil society to do everything in their power to stop the slaughter in Gaza and protect healthcare workers.
22 March 2024
Health professions urged to speak up on AUKUS and its threats to health and safety
At first sight there might not seem to be much connection between health and the AUKUS military alliance. But the threats posed by AUKUS to health are multiple and strong, at local, national, regional and global levels. A serious examination of those threats should form an important part of preventive healthcare.
19 March 2024
Israel: a nation killing and starving children
There is nothing in recent memory that matches the scale of the atrocities being inflicted on the civilians of Gaza, who appear to be being punished for their very existence. Every report and image coming out of this tiny but densely populated piece of land brings despair, horror and incredulity, with the question How can this be happening? being uppermost.
14 March 2024
AUKUS: risks, risks and more risks
Instead of actually engaging in measures to promote peace, the AUKUS governments are feeding us a racist notion that three Anglo nations targeting China from thousands of kilometres away are needed to ensure it.
23 January 2024
Were being sold a false choice on war
Australia has just taken another step, as part of the AUKUS agreement with the US and the UK, that is leading us towards an event that should be unthinkable involvement in a major war against China.
10 January 2024
Gaza: Australias obligations under the ATT and Genocide Convention
Australian governments talk a lot about our commitment to the rule of law and human rights. However Australias response - at glacial speed with grossly inadequate measures - to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza following Hamass brutal October 7 attacks, are putting that commitment to the test. As a nation that has provided political and military support to Israel, we are not doing well.
14 December 2023
People in Gaza are experiencing a living hell
As the death toll in Gaza from Israels bombardment and siege reaches well over 17,000 people, the Australian Government is slowly and belatedly taking steps towards ending the nightmare for the people there.
8 November 2023
The moral abyss: Israeli doctors call for the bombing of hospitals
Even as the moral abyss that is the war in Gaza had seemed as if it could not deepen, it now appears to be a bottomless pit. It is reported that about 100 medical doctors belonging to a group called Doctors for the Rights of Israeli Soldiers signed a letter last weekend stating that it is an obligation for the army to target hospitals in Gaza allegedly used to shelter Hamas, and specifically calling for the bombing of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
26 October 2023
Acting Prime Minister Marles does not believe Palestinian hospitals should be allowed fuel
The Australian government must withhold all political support from the Israeli government while the killing of Palestinian civilians and destruction of their infrastructure continue. And yet, what hope? On 25 October when acting Prime Minister Richard Marles was asked on radio whether fuel should be allowed into Gaza to allow hospitals to function; he could not bring himself even to utter a simple yes.
10 September 2023
Nuclear subs challenge trains 10 year old children for war
Its time for education ministers across the country to show leadership and protect our children from vested interests and pro-war propaganda.
10 July 2023
The AWM, children, and war crimes
What do we make of our own national war memorial inviting children to have a go at planning attacks on civilian infrastructure which amount to war crimes?
29 June 2023
To tackle climate change, we need peace and also an accountable Defence department
Preventing wars, demilitarisation and promoting peace are vital strategies for tackling climate change, writes Dr Sue Wareham OAM, President of the Medical Association for Prevention of War. She also urges the Defence Department to lift its game on climate action, and to commit to improved measurement, reporting and scrutiny of military emissions.
30 May 2023
Mainstream media need to focus on peace
The fact that Australia is sleepwalking towards a catastrophic war against China has received very welcome and responsible coverage in Pearls and Irritations and other non-mainstream media. The head-in-the-sand stance adopted by much of the mainstream media stands in stark contrast. The most recent example of the latter was a 15-page supplement in The Canberra Times (CT) on 17 May Our Next Steps, on the Defence Strategic Review. It was a most shameful collection of war-mongering articles and images.
19 March 2023
Twenty years on, coalition of the willing rebranded
20 years ago, on 20 March 2003, the US, the UK, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq in an illegal act of aggression. As with all wars, we were told this one would be quick. The pretext for the invasion was - despite authoritative doubts raised at the time - claims about the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction. There were no such weapons in Iraq, although plenty of them in two of the invading nations. After on-again off-again ADF deployments, the last Australian troops finally left the country in June 2020.
30 July 2022
Ending the Ukraine and other wars: putting victims at the centre
A common response from Western nations to the Ukraine war is one of support for Ukraine or standing with Ukraine as it suffers ongoing attack from Russia.
24 April 2022
Time to reclaim remembrance
As the nation pauses to honour our war dead on Anzac Day, it is appropriate to reflect on the tainting of genuine commemoration at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) by vested interests. Added to deep concerns about the bitterly controversial $1/2 billion redevelopment, the Memorial is dividing rather than uniting Australians.
30 August 2021
"No Australian who has ever fallen in our uniform has ever diedin vain, ever" The PM and the AWM
Prime Minister Morrisons recentstatementto the ABC that No Australian who has ever fallen in our uniform has ever diedin vain, ever is glib, facile, devoid of any content and oblivious to the catastrophe in Afghanistan and to Australias role. It is little more than an arbitrary assertion that Australias wars, by definition, bring good outcomes that would absolve our leaders of any responsibility and accountability for disastrous outcomes from these wars.
22 April 2021
AWM needs lessons in democracy
While fine and solemn words about our democratic values and freedoms will be uttered from the Australian War Memorial (AWM) on Anzac Day, behind the scenes the institution is engaging in processes that treat with contempt our right to help shape the important decisions that affect us all.
2 March 2021
Manufacturing consent: Australian War Memorial has become a cheerleader for war
The Australian War Memorial is being transformed, against the wishes of the Australian people, from a place of war commemoration to a place that honours war itself, a militaristic and rousing endorsement of every decision to send Australians to war.
16 November 2020
Let's face it, Australia goes to war far too easily (Canberra Times Nov 15, 2020)
The soon-to-be-released Brereton Report will shine a light on alleged war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. It is expected that a culture of impunity within the special forces will be highlighted as a significant factor in perpetuating crimes against Afghan civilians
8 September 2020
Government must stop militarising our biggest challenges
Proposed legislation to enable the PM to declare a national emergency and call in the troops appears to be yet another example of the governments dangerous tendency to militarise our biggest challenges, including climate change.
29 May 2020
SUE WAREHAM. Roadmaps on the two biggest threats ready to go
Our security lies in our capacity to work together for the common good, rather than in weapons that terrify other humans. Roadmaps to address our two biggest threats, nuclear weapons and climate change, are ready to go. Were not waiting for a vaccine, but simply for governments, including our own, to learn that increasingly alarming warnings require urgent action.
10 May 2020
SUE WAREHAM. Prioritising Health
Global military spending continues to rise. Critical health goals could be achieved for a fraction of what we spend on wars. Focussing funding on health rather than military spending, globally and in Australia, would create more jobs, healthier communities, and budgetary savings.
21 April 2020
SUE WAREHAM. Cancel RIMPAC and reorder our priorities
The failure to cancel RIMPAC or the slowness in doing so - whichever turns out to be the case demands a reordering of our priorities to place healthcare before warfare. A call from the Australian government to our troops to #StayAtHome is long overdue.
5 April 2020
SUE WAREHAM. Healthcare Not Warfare
Australia should support the UN Secretary Generals call for a global ceasefire. There are steps that our nation could take in the very short term and beyond to prioritise healthcare over warfare. We are spending vast sums on equipping ourselves for the next war while our frontline health workers struggle to find enough face masks to protect themselves and others. As even greater health threats loom, this is unsustainable.
10 November 2019
AWM redevelopment - Green lights all the way despite widespread opposition
Due process has been missing in action with the proposed Australian War Memorial demolition and expansion. Wide-ranging and serious concerns from many people have been dismissed, as AWM Director Dr Brendan Nelson continues to be given green lights in his quest to have the Memorial display yet more of the machinery of warfare. One wonders whether thats the sort of commemoration the World War 1 diggers would have wanted.
10 October 2019
SUE WAREHAM. Abbott - a natural fit for a war memorial sliding from commemoration to propaganda
People who have the power to set the direction of national cultural institutions need to reflect appropriate values. The appointment of Tony Abbott to the Council of the Australian War Memorial reminds us of just how much the Memorial has lost touch with the values of many Australians. A man whose public life has been divisive and polarising seems a very poor choice for an institution that should unite people across political and ideological divides, but a natural fit for an institution that is sliding towards grandiosity and propaganda.
10 July 2019
SUE WAREHAM. Nuclear weapons must be rejected
Professor Hugh Whites recent suggestion that Australia might need to consider nuclear weapons is highly provocative and dangerous. He is helping to legitimise these instruments of terror, and gives credence to the deeply flawed notion of nuclear deterrence. Australia must instead support global efforts for nuclear weapons elimination, especially the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
22 May 2018
SUE WAREHAM. How the Australian War Memorial has lost its way.
In a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories inquiry into Canberras national institutions Sue Wareham ,on behalf of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) calls for major changes at the AWM The submission notes that the inquirys purpose is to report on strategies that Canberras national institutions are using to maintain viability and relevance to sustainably grow their profile, visitor numbers, and revenue. Extracts below from this submission by MAPW call for new forms of public engagement and audience participation.
24 April 2018
SUE WAREHAM. Honouring the war dead means learning from the horror.
This Anzac Day, as on every other, we will hear of the horrors of war to which many of our service people have been exposed, horrors that certainly call into question any notion of us assuming the title homo sapiens. We will honour the fallen and utter the hallowed words lest we forget, as we carefully forget every lesson that the last century and more of bloodshed could teach us.
21 March 2018
SUE WAREHAM. Parliamentary debate on going to war is long overdue.
This week marks the 15th anniversary, on March 20, of one of Australia's most disastrous foreign policy decisions our involvement in the invasion of Iraq. To characterise this as our involvement, however, does a great disservice to the millions of Australians who were vehemently opposed to the decision that was made by just one person, prime minister John Howard. The clear wishes of the people on this most significant of all decisions were ignored, and our elected representatives in parliament were not consulted. The situation was not an emergency and Iraq posed no threat to Australia. There was every...
4 February 2018
SUE WAREHAM. PM Turnbull's 'jobs' argument for war profiteering is a sham.
PM Turnbulls push to make Australia a major weapons exporter puts paid to any pretence we might have of being a peace-loving nation. And his claim that its all about jobs is a sham. War profiteering is one of the least effective ways to create jobs.
11 October 2017
SUE WAREHAM. Open letter: Parliament, not ministers, must decide Australia's response to a Korean war
The possibility of war between the United States and North Korea particularly a war triggered by one too many provocative moves by an unpredictable leader, leading to miscalculation or misinterpretation continues to threaten millions of people. The consequences of any such war, even a conventional one, would be dire.
25 April 2017
The Australian War Memorial and weapons manufacturers
The peace of the world for future generations is anathema to the interests of those who profit from warfare. As we commemorate again the war to end all wars, and every war since, one can only wonder what the diggers would have thought, as we allow the industry that profits from the cruelty of wars to bask in the reflected glory of those who suffer it.
5 April 2017
SUE WAREHAM. How independent is the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
ASPIs oft-repeated claim of independence - immunity from the influence of the corporations who help fund the organisation - does strike one as rather naive for experts who might otherwise be seen as hard-headed realists in a tough world. Corporations are, after all, accountable to their shareholders to whom they must demonstrate that funds are spent in pursuit of profits. How then, could these corporations justify granting sponsorships to an organisation in which they have zero influence?
4 January 2017
SUE WAREHAM. Why is Australia not fully behind efforts to prohibit nuclear weapons?
It's about time for some good news. Heaven knows, we need it after 2016's litany of human failures to find peace between ourselves and with our struggling planet. But as a Christmas gift of historic proportions, the UN which is to say its member states has taken the most promising action in decades to lead us towards the elimination of the world's worst weapons. Late on December 23 in New York, the UN General Assembly resolved by a strong majority to begin talks in March on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.