On October 19, Prime Minister Julia Gillard used the opening of a parliamentary debate to announce that Australian forces will be involved in occupying Afghanistan “until the end of the decade at least”.

Gillard’s announcement serves to underscore the right-wing and utterly anti-democratic shift that has taken place in the Australian political establishment since the backroom June 23-24 coup that removed Kevin Rudd as prime minister.

There was virtually no mention of Afghanistan in the campaign for the August 21 election that brought Gillard’s Labor minority government, backed by the Greens, to power. The vast majority of Australians did not vote for and do not support another decade of war.

The parliamentary debate has become the vehicle through which the Labor Party—with the full support of the Liberal-National opposition coalition—is rehashing the old lies about Afghanistan being a “war on terror” and a war for “democracy”, to try to intimidate and silence opposition.

The Socialist Equality Party is holding public meetings in Melbourne and Sydney to discuss the real agenda behind the war and outline the perspective necessary to mobilise the working class in Australia and internationally against militarism and the US-led occupation. We urge all WSWS readers, workers and youth to attend.

Melbourne

Wednesday, November 3, 7pm
The Casey Plaza Lecture Theatre
Building 10 (10.4.2)
Bowen Lane, RMIT City Campus

Sydney

Thursday, November 4, 7pm
Punchbowl Community Centre Hall
44 Rossmore Street, Punchbowl
(short walk from Punchbowl Station)

Click here to request further information