In 2002, Australia was on the cusp of joining the United States-led invasion of Iraq and had already committed troops to Afghanistan — but previously secret cabinet records make very few references to what would become a decades-long engagement in the Middle East.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.More than 200 previously secret cabinet records are now in the public domain.abc.net.
Despite the this, the records released this year barely make mention of the impending military action in Iraq or Afghanistan. In March 2003, Australia would go on to join the US-led invasion without authorisation from the UN Security Council. It would become the site of protests, riots and deaths and would draw intense criticism and condemnation from human rights organisations.