A striking Banksy, a recycled war lie and a drift toward exceptionalism reveal how easily truth is buried and how urgently Australia must choose to see before stepping over the edge, writesWayne Hawkins.
The statue and the lie
On 30 April 2026, a newBanksyappeared overnight inWaterloo Place, London: a life-sized bronze figure in a suit, mid-stride, stepping off the edge of a plinth. The figure's face is entirely draped by a billowing flag, rendering him sightless as he falls.
On that same day, U.S. Defence SecretaryPete Hegsethconcludedtestimonyregarding the Iran war launched on 28 February 2026 a conflict initiated without congressional authorisation or an honest public accounting.
The stated justification was that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. However, the U.S. intelligence communitys2025 assessmentexplicitly stated Iran was not building such a weapon. This was further confirmed on 4 March 2026 by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director GeneralRafael Grossi, who noted the agency had no information indicating a structured Iranian nuclear bomb program. Despite these facts, the administration publicly claimed the opposite.
Donald Trump and the Iran War path to madnessOn Easter Sunday, Trump warned that a 'whole civilisation will die tonight'if Iran refused his latest demands.
How lies persist
This phenomenon relies on theillusory truth effect, identified by psychologists in 1977, where repetition increases the subjective sense of truth regardless of evidence. The nuclear threat was repeated across government and media channels until familiarity was perceived as fact.
Identity-protective cognition also plays a role. When beliefs act as identity markers, factual corrections often trigger entrenchment. For instance,Pew Researchfound 79 per cent of Republicans approved the Iran policy even as the administration's own intelligence community contradicted the war's justification.
The Iraq parallel and Australias role
The architecture of this conflict is forensically identical to Iraq in 2003: capability was presented as imminence and intelligence was subordinated to political messaging. Australia joined the Iraq coalition based on weapons of mass destruction that never existed.
Twenty-three years later, history repeats. Prime MinisterAnthony Albaneseendorsed the Iran strikes before the IAEA had even commented or a parliamentary debate occurred. When asked if the strikes complied with international law, Foreign MinisterPenny Wongdeclined to answer.
Former Labor foreign ministerBob Carrdescribed this lack of adherence to international law asfrightening, noting that the lie on which the war is based was already being exposed. The structural failure to scrutinise threat claims suggests the lessons of 2003 were ignored by those in power.
When allies threaten war crimes, silence is self-destructionIf Trump bombs Iran's civilian infrastructure, Britain and Australia must respond not out of partisanship, but because the laws that protect Tehran today protect London and Sydney.
The Darwin warning
WhenCharles Darwinvisited Van Diemen's Land in 1836, he observed a system where prosperity was built on dispossession and the elimination of the original inhabitants. He noted that the British flag seemed to drawwealth, prosperity and civilisationas a certain consequence, while the costs were borne by those without a voice.
Today, a quieter version of exceptionalism is being imported into Australia. Critics are framed as un-Australian and public broadcasting is systematically delegitimised. Nationalistic rhetoric, such as the use of the term mass regardingimmigration policy, converts policy questions into perceived threats. This incremental shift in theOverton windowhas seen core arguments from SenatorPauline Hansons 1996 maiden speechbecome mainstream positions within the Coalition.
The choice
The Banksy statue serves as a portrait of nations where nationalism is used to prevent citizens from seeing the consequences of actions taken in their name. The flag covers the face as the figure strides off the plinth.
With a 10.1 per cent youth unemployment rate and awidening gapbetween the cost of living and stagnant wages, the current direction is unsustainable. The edge of the plinth is visible. The question is whether enough people will choose to look before we take the final step.
Wayne Hawkinsis a small business owner in Hobart, Tasmania, and an independent candidate for the federal seat of Clark at the 2028 Election.
Related Articles
- Americas Iran war for oil signals environmental disaster
- Late 2026 far from now
- Oil, war and ecocide: The destruction of the Middle East
- Who's making money? The arsenal trade after Ukraine and Iran
- Waning world order: Ethics in the age of great power politics
