By Mark Forbes, Defence Correspondent, The Age (Melbourne) 05 Feb 2002
The Federal Government backed the proposed US missile defence shield last year despite intelligence agency warnings that the system was not in Australia's diplomatic or security interests.
Classified documents produced by the Office of National Assessments, which reports directly to Prime Minister John Howard, say the US National Missile Defence system could provoke a regional arms race. Marked ``for Australian Eyes Only", the material also says Pine Gap would be a key component of the system.
There is more to it, but since the tone of your post proposes that I tell fibs this is all you are going to get.
There was an eventual rebuttal from Alexander Downer after the warning which is painted with nonsensical rhetoric.
