Australian Public Opinion Toward the Iraq War

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, defence has only rarely become a political issue in Australia. In part, this reflects the absence of any major physical threat to Australia since white settlement; the only occasion when was was any serious risk if invasion occurred when the Japanese invaded New Guinea in 1942. In part, too, it reflects the fact that Australia has been able to rely on powerful allies to protect it. As a consequence, the public has had few firm view on defence policy and how it should be conducted, nor has it possessed much knowledge about the strategic options available. The two exceptions to this pattern are the Vietnam War and the Iraq War.