Prime Minister John Howard was not impressed. In Samoa for the Pacific Islands forum, he was confronted with an extraordinary repudiation of his foreign policy, especially the Iraq war, by 43 of Australia's former military chiefs, department heads and senior diplomats.

A tight-jawed Prime Minister adopted a well-worn defence yesterday: "The argument that we took the country to war based on a lie is itself a misrepresentation and I continue to reject it."

The statement from the "concerned group" of distinguished citizens demands truth in government, from whichever party wins power in the coming election. But it also accuses the Howard Government of deceiving the people over the war in Iraq. "It is wrong and dangerous for our elected representatives to mislead the Australian people," it says. "If we cannot trust the word of our government, Australia cannot expect it to be trusted by others. Without that trust, the democratic structure of our society will be undermined and with it our standing and influence in the world."

The military brass signing up to the statement include the former defence chiefs General Peter Gration and Admiral Alan Beaumont, along with the former navy heads Admiral Mike Hudson and Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Peek.

Top diplomats included Richard Woolcott, a former ambassador to the United Nations; Alan Renouf, the former head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and ambassador to the US and France; Peter Lloyd, former ambassador to Iraq; and Cavan Hogue, the former representative on the UN Security Council.

The instigator was John Menadue, former head of the Prime Minister's Department - for the Whitlam and Fraser governments. It is believed to be the first time such a group has come together to stage an attack on a government. Many have avoided public attention until now.

General Gration said the concern went back beyond Iraq - to Tampa and the children overboard affair. He said serving defence force officers shared the concerns expressed in the statement.

"I can tell you that a number of serving offices do share these concerns and serving diplomats too, I guess. But quite properly in their present positions, they can't speak out," he said. "Demonstrably, over the last year or two, truth in government has been less than it should be.

The statement says the international prestige of the US and its presidency has fallen precipitously over the past two years and Australia should seek a true partnership with it, rather than rubber-stamp Washington's policies.

It also claims terrorist activity has increased since the Iraq war and Australia now has a higher profile as a target.

The Opposition Leader, Mark Latham, seized on the statement, calling it a damning judgement on the Howard Government. "Truth in government is long overdue in this country," he said. "Mr Howard has an appalling record. He can barely lie straight in bed."

General Gration said the statement was not meant to be partisan political - "that's why we released it well before the election". And Mr Hogue said: "Many of these people are very conservative. It was not easy for them to sign. Others said they shared the sentiments but were not signers and some sympathisers have government consultancies or are looking for them."

Mr Woolcott, also a former secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said: "In a healthy democracy, experienced former senior representatives are entitled to speak out if they feel the integrity of the decision-making processes are under threat."

And Mr Menadue also said: "The immediate inspiration for this was Iraq and terrorism, where the Government has kicked an own goal - the invasion and occupation of Iraq has greatly added to terrorist attacks. But the statement is really about the need for truth in public life."

Mr Menadue initiated the statement with Mr Woolcott and Mr Hogue. They joined Alison Broinowski, former charge d'affaires in Jordan, who was working on a similar concept.

Some signatories, including General Gration and a former Defence Department head, Paul Barratt, have criticised the Iraq policy in the past. But several have not gone public with their concerns before.

A former diplomat, Ron Walker, says in a letter to the Herald: "Most of us have no ties to either side in politics, just a strong commitment to Australia."