
The following is a statement by the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN). IPAN is a broad based national network of more than 60 peace, anti-war, faith and community organisations, unions, and individuals advocating for an independent and peaceful Australian foreign policy. Spirit of Eureka is an affiliate and founding member of IPAN. Some of our members are involved in IPAN's activities including the drafting of this statement. We encourage all supporters of Spirit of Eureka to please sign the statement and circulate it widely.
To sign, go to https://ipan.org.au/healthcare_not_warfare/
A People's Call for Healthcare not Warfare
We the undersigned, call on the Australian Government to stop funnelling billions of dollars into offensive weapons for unjust U.S. led wars, and invest instead in the health and safety of people and the environment.
On 23 March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire. The UN call highlights the disparity between the huge financial and technological resources invested in wars, and the under-funded and under-resourced public health systems desperately trying to control this deadly virus.
We call on the Australian Government to support the UN Secretary General’s call.
COVID-19 has sharply exposed the dangerous and unsustainable priorities of our society. On the other hand, the vast majority of Australians are co-operating to control the virus. World-wide, there are desperate shortages in the supply of most basic safety and life saving equipment – ICU beds, ventilators, virus testing kits and personal protective equipment for front line health workers.
At the same time there are vast stockpiles of technologically advanced military weaponry worth trillions of dollars, waiting to be used in endless profit-making wars.
Read more: A People's Call for Healthcare not Warfare