Overview
- Departmental briefs recorded internal concerns about John Howard’s WorkChoices plan, warning of industrial disputes and noting mixed support across agencies.
- Cabinet approved deploying 150 special forces to Afghanistan for 12 months in July 2005, with ministers wary of state failure as Australia began what became a years-long commitment.
- Following the London bombings, the national security committee weighed a national ID card while cabinet discussed a plan to foster tolerance and leadership within Muslim communities, and later endorsed a social cohesion strategy after the Cronulla riots.
- Ministers accepted a report identifying systemic immigration failures that led to Australian citizen Cornelia Rau being unlawfully detained for 10 months.
- Records show the government judged tsunami warning systems inadequate after the 2004 disaster and committed $1 billion to Indonesia’s recovery, framing it as a reset in bilateral ties.