Watching Briefs & Action Alerts

Watching Briefs and Action Alerts

Below are past Watching Briefs, Action Alerts, and submissions from the Quaker Peace & Legislation Committee (QPLC). These documents provide insights into key legislative, peace, and social justice issues from a Quaker perspective. They are grouped by topic, with the most recent items listed first in each category.

Recent

• Public Inquiry into the AUKUS Agreement - Action Alert 26-2 (August 2026)
• Comparison Between Military Expenditure and Development Assistance - Watching Brief 26-4 (June 2026)
• Israel & the West Bank - Watching Brief 26-3 (April 2026)
• Israel & Palestine - Watching Brief 26-2 (April 2026)
• Campaign for Australia to sign Nuclear Ban Treaty - Action Alert 26-2 (Feb 2026)
• Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion - Action Alert 26 - 1 (Feb 2026)
• Hate Speech & Gun Control Legislation - Watching Brief 26-1 (Feb 2026)
   

Civil Liberties & Protest Rights

Documents highlighting legal changes affecting protest rights, whistleblower protections, and broader civil liberties.

• Anti-Protest Laws in Australia – Watching Brief 25-2 (Mar 2025)

• Julian Assange – Action Alert 23-3 (June 2023)

• Anti-Protest Laws in Australia – Watching Brief 22-4 (July 2022)

• Persecution of Whistleblowers – Action Alert 21-1 (Apr 2021)

• Protecting Whistleblowers – Watching Brief 19-6 (Aug 2019)

Elections & Political Reform

Analysis of election processes, political accountability, and electoral system reforms within Australia.

• Federal Election 2025 – Action Alert 25-1 (Mar 2025)

• QF22-2 – What Next: Federal Election 2022

• Australia’s Electoral System – Watching Brief 21-2 (Jan 2021)

• ALP Conference Decisions on Foreign Policy – Action Alert (Jan 2019)

Environmental & Climate Policy

Watching Briefs and alerts covering climate justice, biodiversity conservation, and responses to environmental crises.

• Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change – Watching Brief 25-1 (Feb 2025)

• Biodiversity Convention – Watching Brief 23-1 (Jan 2023)

• Climate Emergency – Supporting Pacific Voices – Action Alert 19-8 (Sep 2019)

• Bushfires Enquiry – Action Alert 20-1 (Feb 2020)

• Sustainable Development Goals – Watching Brief 19-9 (Oct 2019)

Government Accountability & Corruption

Reports and action alerts focused on integrity in governance, anti-corruption measures, and surveillance laws.

• Whistleblowers Update – Watching Brief 24-5 (Mar 2024)

• National Anti-Corruption Commission – Action Alert 22-5 (Oct 2022)

• State Capture – Corrupting Democracy – Action Alert 22-2 (Feb 2022)

• Government Surveillance – Watching Brief 21-10 (Sep 2021)

• Government Accountability – Watching Brief 20-3 (Feb 2020)

• Commonwealth Integrity Commission – Action Alert 20-6 (Nov 2020)

Nuclear Disarmament & Arms Control

Resources related to nuclear weapons treaties, arms trade developments, and efforts towards global disarmament.

• Campaign for Australia to sign Nuclear Ban Treaty - Action Alert 26-2 (Feb 2026)

• Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change – Watching Brief 25-1 (Feb 2025)

• Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty – Watching Brief 23-4 (June 2023)

• Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Update – Watching Brief 22-3 (July 2022)

• Parliamentary Group on the Nuclear Treaty – Watching Brief 21-3 (Apr 2021)

• Watching Brief WB18-1 – Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty (Apr 2018)

• Lethal Autonomous Weapons – Watching Brief 19-2 (May 2019)

• Lethal Autonomous Weapons – Update – Watching Brief 19-8 (Aug 2019)

Peace, Defence & Foreign Policy

Documents addressing Australia’s foreign policy, defence strategies, and Quaker perspectives on military alliances and disarmament.

• Public Inquiry into the AUKUS Agreement - Action Alert 26-2 (August 2026)

• AUKUS – Watching Brief 24-10 (Oct 2024)

• Militarisation of Education – Action Alert 24-2 (Oct 2024)

• QF24-1 Flutter – Arms Trade Exposition

• The Militarisation of Foreign Policy – Watching Brief 23-3 (May 2023)

• AUKUS Talk by Allan Behm – Action Alert 23-4 (July 2023)

• War Propaganda and AUKUS – Action Alert 23-1 (Mar 2023)

• Foreign and Defence Policies – IPAN Report – Watching Brief 22-5 (Dec 2022)

• (More documents are available in the full archive.)

Refugees & Asylum Seekers

Updates and advocacy materials on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, including detention policies and humanitarian efforts.

• Action Alert AA 25-3: Australia's Refugee Policies Action Alert (August 2025)

• Immigration Detention – Action Alert 23-6 (Dec 2023)

• QF23-7 Flutter – Refugees (Peter Shergold speech)

• Refugees and Asylum Seekers – Watching Brief 21-7 (July 2021)

• Medical Evacuation of Refugees – Action Alert 19-3 (Mar 2019)

• Palestinian Refugees and UNRWA – Action Alert 18-4 (Sep 2018)

• Refugees and UNHCR – Watching Brief 18-4 (Aug 2018)

Religious Freedom & Human Rights

This section includes Watching Briefs and Action Alerts related to religious freedom, discrimination laws, and broader human rights concerns.

• Religious Education Consultation ALRC – Watching Brief 23-2 (Feb 2023)

• Quaker Submission to Religious Discrimination Bill Inquiry (Jan 2022)

• Religious Discrimination Bill – Action Alert 21-4 (Dec 2021)

• Response to the Revised Religious Discrimination Bill 2020 (Jan 2020)

• Statement to Religious Freedom Inquiry (May 2018)

Social & Economic Issues

Briefs examining economic policies, federal budgets, education reforms, and broader social justice concerns.

• Youth and Crime (update) – Watching Brief 23-7 (Dec 2023)

• Australia’s Potential Human Rights Act – Action Alert 23-2 (May 2023)

• Federal Budget – Watching Brief 21-4 (May 2021)

• Higher Education Support Enquiry – Action Alert 20-5 (Sep 2020)

War & Conflict

Watching Briefs providing Quaker insights into global conflicts, including Ukraine, Myanmar, Israel-Palestine, and broader peace efforts.

• Israel & the West Bank - Watching Brief 26-3 (April 2026)

• Israel & Palestine - Watching Brief 26-2 (April 2026)

• From the River to the Sea – Watching Brief 24-8 (July 2024)

• Palestine – Action Alert 24-1 (July 2024)

• ICJ Judgement on Israel – Watching Brief 24-4 (Feb 2024)

• The Russian Ukraine War Update – *