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Bryan Dawe sits at his desk. John Clarke enters in a suit, slightly hurried, carrying a reusable shopping bag with “ALBO” written on it in texta.

Dawe: Mr Albanese, thank you for coming in.

Clarke: Always a pleasure, Bryan. Happy to speak to the Australian people. Transparency is very important to me.

Dawe: Let’s start with the troops.

Clarke: Certainly.

Dawe: The ones you sent to the Middle East.

Clarke: Yes.

Dawe: Without telling anyone.

Clarke: We told the relevant people.

Dawe: Who were they?

Clarke: The people it was relevant to tell.

Dawe: And who was that?

Clarke: I’m not able to go into that for reasons of operational security.

Dawe: So not the public.

Clarke: The public is represented through appropriate channels.

Dawe: Which are?

Clarke: The appropriate ones.

Dawe: Right. And these troops.

Clarke: Elements of our defence capability.

Dawe: The SAS.

Clarke: I’m not going to confirm or deny specific units.

Dawe: The SAS.

Clarke: I’m not going to confirm that.

Dawe: The SAS.

Clarke: Nor deny it.

Dawe: The same SAS examined by the Brereton Inquiry.

Clarke: The Brereton Inquiry dealt with historical matters.

Dawe: Which were noted.

Clarke: Appropriately.

Dawe: And acted on.

Clarke: Through appropriate processes.

Dawe: At the appropriate time.

Clarke: Exactly.

Dawe: Which is when.

Clarke: These things take time, Bryan.

Dawe: You’ve sent them back.

Clarke: We have deployed elements of our defence capability.

Dawe: Back into a war zone.

Clarke: Into an operational environment.

Dawe: Did Parliament approve this?

Clarke: Parliament has been kept informed.

Dawe: Before or after.

Clarke: (pause) Parliament is part of an ongoing consultative process.

Dawe: With yourself.

Clarke: With relevant stakeholders.

Dawe: Right.

(pause)

Dawe: On the first day of the conflict, a missile struck a girls’ primary school in southern Iran.

Clarke: That is a very concerning report.

Dawe: It killed a large number of children.

Clarke: Any loss of innocent life is a tragedy.

Dawe: And Australia provides intelligence through Pine Gap.

Clarke: Pine Gap is a joint facility that serves important strategic functions.

Dawe: For the people firing the missiles.

Clarke: It operates under longstanding arrangements.

Dawe: Which we can’t discuss.

Clarke: Certain aspects are classified.

Dawe: So we can’t discuss the troops.

Clarke: Operational matters.

Dawe: We can’t discuss Pine Gap.

Clarke: Classified matters.

Dawe: We can’t discuss the parliamentary process.

Clarke: Procedural matters.

Dawe: What can we discuss?

Clarke: Australia’s position is very clear.

Dawe: Which is?

Clarke: We support the United States.

Dawe: In what.

Clarke: In acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Dawe: Did Iran have one?

Clarke: That is a matter of intelligence assessment.

Dawe: Your own intelligence said they didn’t.

Clarke: Intelligence evolves.

Dawe: Does it evolve before or after the missiles.

Clarke: It is a dynamic process.

(pause)

Dawe: The United States is also imposing tariffs on Australia.

Clarke: We are engaged in constructive discussions.

Dawe: While supporting their war.

Clarke: While maintaining our alliance.

Dawe: While petrol prices rise.

Clarke: The global energy situation is complex.

Dawe: And the supermarket.

Clarke: Supply chains are under pressure.

Dawe: And the pharmacy.

Clarke: We are monitoring the situation closely.

Dawe: While sending troops you haven’t announced to a war you haven’t explained.

Clarke: Bryan, I want to be very clear.

Dawe: Please.

Clarke: Australia believes in the rules-based international order.

(long pause)

Dawe: That’s the explanation.

Clarke: And the importance of alliances in maintaining stability.

Dawe: Of course.

(pause)

Dawe: Mr Albanese, are you aware that John Howard did this.

Clarke: Did what.

Dawe: Backed a United States war. No evidence. No mandate. No legal basis. Said all the same things.

Clarke: (pause) I am nothing like John Howard.

Dawe: No.

Clarke: John Howard was a conservative who put his political interests ahead of the Australian people.

Dawe: (nods) Right.

(longer pause)

Clarke: (quietly) I have another engagement.

Dawe: Of course.

Clarke: But I want to assure Australians that everything we are doing is being done with full regard for their—

Dawe: Transparency.

Clarke: — safety and security.

Clarke exits. He leaves the shopping bag behind.

Dawe looks at camera.

Dawe: The Prime Minister of Australia.

(pause)

Dawe: He left his shopping.

(pause)

Dawe: We’re paying for it.

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