Australia has signalled its willingness to contribute Super Hornets to US-led air strikes in Iraq, with the defence force “at a high state of readiness”.



The defence minister, David Johnston, said Australia was yet to be approached to provide assistance other than humanitarian relief, but would continue to talk to the US about steps to preserve civilian life from the threat posed by the Islamic State (Isis).

Foreign minister Julie Bishop said Australia “stood ready to receive any further requests from the US” for Australia to “support efforts to disrupt and defeat [Isis].”

“It will be based on an assessment of risk, what achievable human purpose might be available and of course what clear and proportionate role there would be for Australia,” she told media on Wednesday evening.



“We’re focused on ensuring that Isis can be defeated, that its barbaric ways can be stopped, and that the civilians they so brutally targeted are safe.”



The Labor opposition has requested a briefing on the latest developments, while the Greens argued military engagement in Iraq could “make the situation worse” in Iraq.

Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, acknowledged the international community had a responsibility to protect against genocide, but said Australia must be thoughtful and calm when weighing up any potential involvement.

Plibersek said the US-led war that began in 2003 had been “very damaging” for Iraq, and the government must be cautious not to do more harm than good.

Australia has left the door open to contributing to US-led air strikes in Iraq but indicated it was not considering putting combat forces on the ground.

Australia outlined its position on Wednesday following a report in the New York Times that Barack Obama had begun to mobilise a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria and was moving towards expanded air strikes in Iraq.

The report cited US administration officials as saying they expected Britain and Australia would be willing to join the US in an air campaign.

In an interview late on Wednesday, Johnston said Australia’s relationship with the US was “very close” and their discussions “would touch on these atrocities, the potential genocide, the mass murders and all of the things that we’re seeing unfolding in Iraq at the moment that give us cause for serious concern”.

“We haven’t been approached yet other than with respect to humanitarian relief,” he told the ABC’s Lateline program.

Johnston said Australia’s Super Hornet strike aircraft were “incredibly capable”.

“They’re exactly what flies off US aircraft carriers. Now, that’s an obvious first port of call were we to consider it necessary to participate with our friends and our ally,” he said.

Asked whether Super Hornets were in the region, or prepared to go to the region, Johnston said: “Well, we’re at a high state of readiness. We’re at a good state of readiness at all times. Apart from saying that, I wouldn’t want to say any more.”

Johnston said the US and Australia wanted to see a stable government in Baghdad and that would not happen until 10 September when the new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, took over.

Johnston said American and Australian ministers had agreed it was “appropriate that a more inclusive government in Baghdad should be established before we start talking to them about what level of military assistance from the sort of group of allies who are concerned would start to materialise”.

“Secondly, we will need an invitation from the Iraqi government. We’ll need to settle rules of engagement. We’ll need to do a whole host of things before we start talking about any form of deployment. These things are not just done at the turn of a key, although they may seem as much. So there’s a long way to go before we start talking about deploying these sorts of systems into the field.”

Johnston said the ADF had started to develop its readiness after the emergence of “beheadings, mass executions, genocidal villages wiped out, ethnic cleansing”.

He said the US was already carrying out air strikes in Iraq with the purpose of “preserving civilian lives”.

“Now, if this situation continues, I think it’s incumbent upon nations that have a strong, clear and understandable reputation and sense of right and wrong to do the right thing here and assist a stable Iraqi government if we can get one to defend itself and to retake and assert some reasonable level of legitimate control over these villages.”

Johnston said the focus was on Iraq, not Syria, where the situation was “much more clouded, much more muddied”.

The deputy leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, said the actions of Isis were “terror and horror, pure and simple”.

“But we were told over a decade ago that sending combat forces to Iraq would stop this kind of terror and horror from happening and that plainly hasn’t worked.”

Bandt repeated calls for the issue to be debated in parliament before any commitment was made. He said the onus was on those who thought military involvement was the answer to prove their case to the Australian people and parliament.

“If history teaches us anything it’s that military involvement is not a cure-all,” he told media in Canberra.

“In fact it has the potential to destabilise these regions even further and allow these kind of horrors to flourish. The question is for those who think that Australian forces should go and join others in bombing another country, prove to us that it will make the situation over there safer, and that it will make Australia safer.”