Fed: Govt should hold plebiscite on Iraq: Brown

00-00-0000
Fed: Govt should hold plebiscite on Iraq: Brown

CANBERRA, Feb 17 AAP - The federal government should test its position on a war withIraq by holding a plebiscite, Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown said today.

Senator Brown said the government could also bring forward the federal election, whichdoes not have to be held until the end of next year, to test its stance.

He said it was time for Prime Minister John Howard to seek the views of the Australianpublic, especially in light of the strong protests held throughout the country in recentdays.

"The prime minister's out of touch, and there's a greater arrogance coming into thisfrom him and his minister for foreign affairs," Senator Brown told ABC television.

"He needs to put down the phone from the White House and take up the phone from theAustralian people.

"He's just spent $15 million in publicity and sending out fridge magnets, he shouldhave put in a voting slip and he'd have got a very strong message from the Australianpeople and he knows this."

Senator Brown said the plebiscite would show the government how out of touch it hadbecome on the Iraq issue.

Australia has held three plebiscites: two during World War I for the introduction ofconscription, and another in the 1970s over the choice of the national anthem.

There are reports today the government is considering an early election to push throughthe full sale of Telstra.

Senator Brown said the prospect of war against Iraq was far more important than Telstra's sale.

He said the government could not put off some sort of vote over Iraq when it was soclosely tied to a possible war.

"(Mr Howard) can wait until an election at the end of next year but by then the damagewill have been done," he said.

AAP sw/sb/was/ts

KEYWORD: IRAQ PLEBISCITE