JI: The main game

The hard struggle against terrorism is a problem that resonates strongly with the Maritime Union's front-line workers. On the wharves or at sea, MUA members work with a unique, and vital, degree of security awareness.

And as the terrorist anarchy creeps closer and closer, the differing policies of the Howard Government and the Labor Party are being brought into sharp relief. Labor is honing in on the struggle in our own region, fighting Jemaah Islamiyah, while the Howard Government is still wedded to sticking with the Americans in the Middle East.

The Labor Party opposed Howard's decision to join the so-called Coalition of the Willing because they believed a war in Iraq was fundamentally unrelated to the main game -- the struggle against terrorism.

Labor feared that acting outside the UN mandate in attacking Iraq would undermine the international coalition against terror, divert the armed forces of our major ally, the US, from the main game, and possibly turn segments of the Islamic populations against us and against moderate Islamic governments.

As we go to press, the horror of 10 deaths and well over a 100 injured in the terrorist bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, is still with us. And we sweat on news of Australians being taken hostage in Baghdad.

"It gives the ALP no joy whatsoever to have this barbaric proof, 18 months later, that our fears were real and our judgements were sound," Opposition leader Mark Latham told us as he pointed out that the American alliance was at the heart of his disagreement with the Howard Government.

"The alliance has always allowed for strong views in supporting Australia's national interest and the Labor Party would never hesitate to argue against poor American policy -- that is in all of our interests," said Mark Latham. "Labor Governments have always tried to maintain a mature alliance, with room for disagreement -- it is an essential pillar in our foreign policy."

Unhappily for Australia, the Howard Government has been unable or unwilling to achieve this level of maturity in its management of the Alliance with the Americans.

It has replaced the independence of Australia's views with a policy of compliance. We should not have to pay the price for this submissiveness.

Mark Latham has reacted strongly to talk in the media about terrorist efforts to influence European, American, Indonesian and Australian elections.

"Let me make it clear that there are at least two groups that will not be advantaged by the election of a Labor Government -- Jemaah Islamiyah and al Qaeda," he said. "An Australian Labor Government will be an active and implacable enemy of the fundamentalist terrorists.

"A Labor Government will withdraw the Australian troops operating in Iraq under Operation Catalyst by the end of the year. When in Government we will take the appropriate current security advice regarding the needs of the diplomatic mission in Baghdad, and act on it."

Labor will replace the troops in Iraq with specialised health care, training and humanitarian aid.

The role of the RAN in protecting a major economic asset in the Gulf will continue as part of a counter-terrorist function.

But overwhelmingly, Labor's highest priority in the war against terror is in South-East Asia where, Mark Latham says, "our starting point must be Australian leadership, especially concerning maritime security."

The JI terrorists are increasing their use of the waterways of the South-East Asian archipelago, having shifted training bases to the southern Philippines. Local states are well aware of the dangers but nations with large Muslim populations -- such as Indonesia and Malaysia -- will not accept American forces.

This is further evidence of how the Iraq invasion has damaged the prospects of security in our region.

Nevertheless, local states have organised co-ordinated patrolling arrangements between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. This happened only weeks ago.

"But where was Australia?", asks the Labor leader. "In one of the region's critical military activities in the war against terror, and despite our five power defence arrangement that includes Singapore and Malaysia, there is no evidence of the Howard Government pressing for deeper engagement. Yet we have massive regional expertise and maritime and air forces well suited to these tasks. Our ships and aircraft are in these areas all the time," he sai.

Unfortunately, Howard carries too much baggage to effectively engage with Asia to maximise the security of Australians. The Labor Party has clearly stated its belief that the Howard Government's actions in Iraq have made us a bigger target and have diverted resources from the real war against terror. This is particularly true in South-East Asia.

Mark Latham has committed a Labor Government to a maritime security effort, working with South-East Asian nations, to track Jemaah Islamiyah in our region.

"The Howard Government has no strategy for winning the war on terror. It's the same Mr Howard from the last election campaign, exploiting security issues for his own electoral benefit," Mark Latham said.

But that's just not on anymore. The stakes are too high.

A win for the Labor Party will mean that, like John Curtin before him, when our troops are needed close to home, that's where Latham's Labor will put them. No ifs, no buts, no kow-towing to the powerful.