We Are Not Blind: Australians See the Truth Behind War, Media and Government Silence

As someone who has lived, worked and raised a family in Australia, I share a sentiment that is growing louder across the country: Australians are not ignorant. Many of us come from war-torn nations—places like Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria—and we know what conflict looks like. We know what propaganda smells like. And more than ever, we see the cracks in our own government’s moral compass.

This is not just about foreign policy. This is about trust. This is about whether the government that claims to represent its people actually listens when its people say: “We see what’s happening. And we will not stay silent.”

The Reality of War We Remember

Let’s begin with the facts. The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq—backed politically by Australia—resulted in an estimated 187,000 to 654,000 civilian deaths, depending on which study you read. The Lancet, PLOS Medicine and the Iraq Body Count database all provide sobering data, with some sources suggesting the true toll may have surpassed one million. That’s a number we barely heard on the evening news back then.

Meanwhile, journalists—whose job it was to expose these truths—were embedded into military units, tightly managed by Western defense departments. The result? Sanitised media coverage that focused more on U.S. troop movements than Iraqi funerals. Even then, the brutality occasionally broke through: a 2007 video leaked by Australian journalist Julian Assange, known as Collateral Murder, showed American helicopters gunning down civilians in Baghdad—including two Reuters reporters. It was WikiLeaks that revealed what the world was not supposed to see.

For telling the truth, Assange was vilified. Charged under the Espionage Act. Hunted. Jailed. And only in 2024—after 14 years of persecution—did he finally return home to Australia following a U.S. plea deal. The irony is unbearable: the man who exposed war crimes was punished, while those who committed them remain untouched.

Gaza: A Mirror to Our Present Conscience

Now, in 2023–2025, we see a new war. Same weapons, same silence. This time, it's Gaza.

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023—many of them children. Entire neighbourhoods flattened. Hospitals and schools bombed. More than 200 journalists have been killed, making Gaza one of the deadliest war zones for the press in modern history. The United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have all warned of possible war crimes. And still, our leaders hesitate.

Why?

The International Criminal Court has gone as far as to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. If Australia is truly a nation that upholds international law—as we so often claim—then why hasn't our government taken a firmer stand? Why hasn’t it publicly committed to cooperating with the ICC? Why are we still waiting for clarity from Canberra?

The Role of Media and the Rise of the People

In the early 2000s, there was no TikTok. Facebook had barely launched. Mobile video was crude. Today, the people hold cameras, not just journalists. In Gaza, citizens are documenting their own destruction—live, unfiltered and heartbreaking.

Social media has become the last refuge for truth-telling, even as platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) are being accused of shadow-banning Palestinian voices and censoring critical posts. Human Rights Watch has reported algorithmic suppression of Palestinian content. This is no longer about objectivity. It’s about erasure.

In response, Australians are mobilising. Rallies flood Melbourne and Sydney streets. First Nations peoples, Arab-Australians, Jews for Peace, students, healthcare workers—all marching with one voice. One message: "We see you." And we are watching those in power.

Australia: A Nation at a Turning Point

Our nation prides itself on being a liberal democracy. But when silence becomes complicity, democracy begins to decay. When truth is penalised and censorship is normalised, the foundations of our society are at risk.

We are losing trust. Not because we are radical, but because we are informed. The truth is, many Australians are more globally aware than our political leadership gives us credit for.

This isn’t a call for chaos. It’s a call for conscience.

It’s a call for our elected officials to uphold international law—not just when it suits us geopolitically, but always. It’s a call for our media institutions to prioritise integrity over access. And it’s a call for every Australian, regardless of background, to raise their voice and demand moral clarity from the people we put in power.

We will not forget Iraq. We cannot ignore Gaza. We are not blind. And we are not silent.