Coalition warns against requiring parliamentary vote to commit Australia to war

Reform advocates will use the parliamentary inquiry to argue Australia should follow other democracies in requiring parliamentarians to authorise wars so elected representatives are accountable for the consequences.

At present the prime minister and senior ministers can commit Australia to war without parliamentary approval, although parliament may have non-binding debates. The Howard government sent troops to Iraq in 2003 despite opposition from the Labor party.

The joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade will conduct the inquiry looking at how Australia compares with similar democracies around the world.

Julian Hill, a Labor MP and the chair of the defence subcommittee, said his party was honouring an election commitment to hold such an inquiry.

Steele-John has previously proposed a bill to the Senate that would require a majority of both Houses of Parliament to vote in favour of the deployment of ADF personnel overseas except in very exceptional circumstances.