Letter

In response to No time to dye: ABC’s China bias is licensed to kill credibility

War powers

Fred Zhang lays out quite clearly the need for balance in reporting on China. In view of Donald Trump’s attitude to China, particularly Taiwan, it is important to note the following from The Guardian on 28 June:

“Tim Kaine, a Virginia democrat who sponsored the resolution, also harkened back to the founders’ drafting of the constitution when he spoke to his colleagues on Friday. He spoke about how George Washington was president at the time.

“As much as they respected leaders like George Washington, they said war is too big a decision. It’s too big a decision for one person,” Kaine said. “So, they wrote a constitution that said the United States should not be at war without a vote of Congress.” “

Compare that with Section 8 of our Defence Act, which gives the minister for Defence general control and administration of our defence force. This is despite most submissions asking for change in how war powers are exercised in a relatively recent inquiry.

Why the need for change? Well, Richard Marles’ recent statements in Singapore about falling in behind the US have virtually ceded the Section 8 powers to Donald Trump, with no prior recourse to our Parliament.

— Geoff Taylor from Borlu