A potential Coalition government, as promised by opposition leader Peter Dutton, aims to elevate Australia’s defense expenditure to 3% of the country’s GDP, aligning with the demands of the Trump administration for its allies. This pledge, announced by Dutton following a fiery leaders’ debate in Sydney, involves a $21 billion increase in defense spending over five years, raising the proportion of national GDP allocated to defense to 2.5%, with a plan to reach 3% within a decade.
Labor swiftly criticized this proposal, labeling it as unreliable and unconvincing. Under current projections, Australia’s defense budget, which stands at $56 billion annually, is expected to rise to $100 billion by 2034, equating to approximately 2.33% of GDP, under Labor’s anticipated future budgets.
Key details of the Coalition’s defense plan have yet to be unveiled, but the proposal is expected to encompass the acquisition of new drones, missiles, and expansion of AUKUS-related infrastructure in Western Australia. Critics from Labor question the reliability of these commitments, pointing to the lack of transparency on how the increased spending will be funded and the absence of a detailed plan for the allocation of these funds.
Darren Chesters, a National MP, has been accused of neglecting Gippsland constituents’ concerns regarding Dutton’s nuclear energy policy, muddying the waters around the Coalition’s defense and energy strategy. Meanwhile, the shadow defense minister, Andrew Hastie, has defended the Coalition’s plan, arguing that the necessary costings will be revealed before the upcoming election. He justified the need for increased defense spending given the global rise of authoritarian powers, ongoing conflicts, and the shifting geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific region.
In response, Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister and defense minister, dismissed the opposition’s announcement as “a pathetic whimper,” questioning the credibility of the Coalition’s promises regarding defense. He highlighted the Labor government’s substantial investments in defense as a contrast to what he views as unfulfilled Liberal commitments.
This debate underscores the broader global context, with Donald Trump consistently pressuring allies to increase their defense budgets, and Australia finding itself at the nexus of these strategic demands and domestic political strategies.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/23/peter-dutton-to-promise-australia-will-boost-defence-spending-to-the-3-of-gdp-demanded-by-trump-administration
