Anti-AUKUS protesters rallied for the third consecutive month, on April 28, outside the Minister for War鈥檚 electorate office. Many cars honked in support as workers headed home for the weekend.
Retired Lt Col Lance Collins, a former second in charge聽of the Australian Army Intelligence Division, addressed the protest about Australian聽ties to empire and how that dependence had聽grown in recent decades with the聽military becoming significantly integrated聽into the US war machine.
He said the sublimation of Australia鈥檚 independence聽to the US must be resisted or Australia will effectively become its 51st state. Lance served in the Middle East and East Timor.
Others spoke about the best ways to stop AUKUS. Sue Bull from Socialist Alliance said a new mass anti-war movement needed to be built. She said the movement against the war in Vietnam was聽a slow and difficult task but that there will be a point when the truth will break through聽and the movement will grow quickly.
鈥淜eep on keeping on鈥 was the message we all needed to hear.