I don’t want to be Australia’s foreign minister, and here’s why: I would not be good at promoting Australia’s current foreign policy to the world. That’s also why I stopped being a diplomat in 1996.

What would have to change for me to even want to be foreign minister?

Australia would need to start telling the truth about the weapons it sells to Israel, which it often launders through the US, with claims they are merely “components”. Australia would not send ministers to Israel or receive them here, and politicians’ “fact-finding” visits would not continue. Australia would apply the rulings of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice and support full Palestinian membership of the UN. Australia would tell the United States that the genocidal destruction of Gaza and the West Bank will cease only if President Donald Trump cuts off military and intelligence support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Australia would conduct the review of AUKUS that should have happened in 2022. The government would cancel the agreement and make new arrangements for more appropriate technologies for its defence, not for aggression against China. Australia would make it clear that we will not be a member of any coalition for war against China. Australia would also review the ANZUS Treaty and consider the possibility that if allied ships or aircraft were attacked in the South China Sea or off Taiwan, or if there was a “false flag” event, Australia could be obliged to consult about joining the US in war against the Chinese mainland. These reviews would lead to Australia debating the purpose of the US military presence in bases in Australia. If that endangers Australia more than it makes us secure, it should not continue.

Australia would extensively consult our Southeast Asian and South Pacific neighbours about peaceful cohabitation, not confrontation, with China. The government would no longer ignore or rebuff diplomatic initiatives from China that endorse such aspirations. Australia would cease hypocritically urging states to continue to recognise Taiwan, rather than the PRC, which we do not. Australia would not abruptly dismiss China’s Belt and Road infrastructure proposals and would consider joining other nations as members of BRICS. Any peaceful alternatives would be given priority over military threats, and neutral initiatives over allied ones. Senior military and intelligence officers, who continued to project an aggressive role for Australia, would be marginalised.

Constructive cohabitation with our regional neighbours would begin at home, with a review of Ken Henry’s 2011 Australia in the Asian Century report. The government would require all federal politicians and Canberra public servants to read and implement an updated version, and would fund necessary training in Asian affairs and languages. Government finance for militaristic think-tanks such as ASPI would cease, as would support for reactionary groups like CIS and IPA.

Australia would no longer delay ratifying the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and would fully honour the Treaty of Rarotonga. No country would be allowed to bring nuclear weapons into Australia, or to deploy them from here and, as foreign minister, I would not accept a “neither confirm nor deny” response if they did. Australia would not allow nuclear submarines to be decommissioned here, nor accept nuclear waste for “disposal” in Australia.

These reforms would enable Australia sharply to reduce its military expenditure, since the armed services would be committed to the defence of Australia, not to expeditionary wars, extravagant weapons purchases, or building new naval and air bases. That would mean the foreign service could be much better funded and resourced. Australia would revive our spending on development programs, which has fallen to 0.18% of Gross National Income. We would emulate Nordic and European countries which commit 0.8% to 1% of GNI to such initiatives. We would properly support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and their successors. If re-elected to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Australia would work with others for its reform, including elimination of the P5 veto. We would revive the slogan we campaigned with in 2013, “We do what we say”, and mean it this time.

For all these reasons, I will never be foreign minister.