The Australian newspaper "Heard Topics" revealed that the government has initiated an investigation regarding the "loss" of sensitive documents related to Australia's decision to participate in the Iraq War in 2003. The report stated that the Australian government decided to launch an inquiry into the "loss" of files and documents described as "sensitive," which pertain to intelligence reports obtained from the American CIA as well as Australian intelligence regarding Iraq.
It confirmed that the missing files were used by then-Prime Minister John Howard's government to justify Australia's entry into the international coalition to invade Iraq in 2003, with the documents disappearing just days before Howard's government made the decision to participate in the war.
The newspaper noted that these documents, which were supposed to be transferred to the official archive for public use after being declassified in 2020, were not submitted to the Australian National Archive and have not been made available for public viewing, highlighting that Australian authorities "excused their disappearance."
These documents, which the newspaper claimed could reveal the true and previously undisclosed reasons behind Australia's entry into the war, now represent an "important information link for public opinion" in accessing information about the war, as per the law on declassification after the legal timeframe. The Australian government announced a "swift investigation" into the disappearance of these documents, indicating that there are "political moves" behind the concealment of these files, which it stated have become "very critical" to uncovering the truth about what transpired in Iraq nearly twenty years ago.
