Australian Prime Minister Launches Inquiry into Missing Iraq War Documents

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has initiated an inquiry into missing documents about the former government’s decision to participate in the Iraq War in 2003. During his first press conference of 2024, Albanese expressed the public’s right to know the reasons behind Australia’s involvement in the US-led invasion and ordered an investigation into the secrecy surrounding certain records related to the decision.

The National Archives of Australia (NAA) traditionally unveils classified documents on January 1 each year, but this year, 78 documents related to the cabinet’s National Security Committee deliberations on joining the Iraq War were absent.

Albanese attributed the oversight to administrative lapses but appointed former senior public servant Dennis Richardson to investigate whether intentional concealment occurred. The Labor Party, currently led by Albanese, vehemently opposed the government’s decision to engage in the Iraq War in 2003, labeling it as illegal and unjust.