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Military defence expenditure out of proportion to Australia's security needs

Presiding Clerk Ann Zubrick, on behalf of Australian Quakers, tells Prime Minister and Opposition Leader that expenditure on military defence out of proportion to security needs of Australia.

 

Dear Prime Minister,

We believe that the expansion of expenditure on military defence by the Australian Government is out of proportion to the basic security needs of Australia and its people. The decision of the Australian Government to embark on a substantial increase in spending on military equipment and to adopt a more aggressive approach to defence is alarming. It is especially of concern that, at a time of international instability, Australia should be seen to be giving priority to military rather than other solutions, thereby adding to existing tensions.

We are in a time when the critical issues facing the country are climate change, education, health and welfare, and building our capacity as a nation for peacemaking within our region and beyond.

To read the complete letter go to our Public Statements page here.

(Image: from The Cost of Defence 2020-2021: Strategic Defence Update by The Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Red = Baseline defence spending; green=cost of operations; blue=2%GDP, which is a hypothetical ASPI projection assuming a 'rapid' post-COVID-19 recovery.)

Last modified: 
Tuesday, 8 September 2020 - 7:02pm