The Albanese government has announced a significant investment of $53 billion in Australian defence, aiming to meet a target requested by Donald Trump. However, one expert argues that this commitment falls short of genuine military enhancement.
Budget Details and Targets
The Pentagon's National Defence Strategy, released in January, called on allies to allocate at least three per cent of their GDP towards military spending. On Tuesday night, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Defence Minister Richard Marles pledged to meet this target. Chalmers outlined in the Budget how $53 billion will be directed towards defence capabilities over the next decade, increasing spending to three per cent of GDP by 2033.
Chalmers stated that this investment will enhance the Australian Defence Force's ability to deter and respond to threats, strengthen the sovereign defence industrial base, and build self-reliance.
Expert Criticism
Michael Shoebridge, founder of the think tank Strategic Analysis Australia, criticised the announcement. 'It is accounting tricks over actually spending more on our military,' he told the Daily Mail. 'The Albanese Government's defence plan is to pump up the headline defence figure by including a bunch of money from things like veterans' pensions and adding in private finance they hope to get.'
Shoebridge argued that the actual budget numbers show minimal change in defence spending as a share of GDP, remaining around 2.1 per cent and only climbing to about 2.3 per cent in ten years. He dismissed the government's claims of 'historic' or 'generational' investment.
Additional Spending and Criticisms
The Budget also highlights up to $130 billion over a decade for enhanced undersea warfare capabilities, including conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Additionally, up to $15 billion is allocated for autonomous and uncrewed systems like low-cost drones and the Australian-designed 'Ghost Bat'.
Shoebridge criticised the focus on US equipment purchases, stating, 'The move from Marles aims to show Washington that a lot of the Australian money is going on buying equipment from the big American defence companies.' He suggested the strategy is to 'hold our breath until the Trump term is over.'
The Budget also provides $583.4 million to implement recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, and $169.7 million for allied health services for veterans. However, campaign group Fair Care for Veterans' spokesman Kiel Goodman criticised the spending, saying, 'You can't announce billions for defence capability tonight while veterans continue to battle a broken support system at home.'
Polling by Fox & Hedgehog found 50 per cent of Australians support increasing defence spending, while 70 per cent favour more veteran disability support. Goodman noted, 'The public clearly supports both a strong Defence Force and stronger support for veterans.'
