In this article, Cian Hussey contextualises and disseminates the findings of the IPA’s research into Australia’s National Defence.
Is it any wonder the United States has decided to have a snap review of the AUKUS pact with Australia? Successive Australian governments appear not to have taken our national defence seriously. But with the current government apparently prioritising a net zero military over actual defence preparedness, it was only a matter of time before our most important military ally thought it was time to suggest we correct course.
In October the Albanese government released its “Defence Net Zero Strategy”. What exactly a net zero military looks like remains to be seen. Perhaps it requires fitting carbon capture devices to all ADF firearms to ensure that the emissions created by firing bullets can be stored and sequestered? Perhaps it means replacing the cannon on our naval vessels with emissions-free slingshots? Or perhaps it means grounding all our aircraft and hoping that any attack comes from a solar powered adversary on a cloudy day? This gets to the heart of national defence. It is not only about the money we spend on the Australian Defence Force – although this is a vital part of it, and we are certainly not spending enough. It’s about deeper cultural questions, such as: Are we united around a shared set of values and do we believe in our country and are we willing to fight for it if required? It is highly concerning, for example, that when surveyed by the Institute of Public Affairs last year, almost half of 18 to 24-year-old Australians said they would not fight to defend Australia if it were attacked.
After years of being lectured to about our supposedly irredeemably evil settlement, and being constantly berated by certain elites for wanting to celebrate Australia Day on 26 January, it should come as no surprise that many young people question the legitimacy of their country and the value of fighting for it.
When AUKUS – the pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – was announced in 2021, it was the most important development in Australian foreign policy since the ANZUS treaty was signed in 1951. It was a signal that Australia was going to take its defence seriously again, after years of neglect.
But almost four years and two elections later, we have failed to do so.
In the Cold War, Australia was spending was close to 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence. The government claims our current era is more dangerous than it was during the Cold War, but we are spending just 2 per cent of GDP on defence.
Until Australia takes its defence seriously, we cannot be surprised that the United States might be sceptical of our willingness to defend ourselves.
