Anthony Albanese denies defence minister kept in dark on defence readiness

Anthony Albanese has rejected an “absurd” detail in a report on the combat readiness of Australia’s warships.

Anthony Albanese has rejected a report detail revealing his deputy, Defence Minister Richard Marles, did not get warship readiness briefings for years.

An audit published on Friday found the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has failed to properly maintain Australia’s biggest battleships – the HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide.

It also revealed Mr Marles did not get “preparedness reports” from Australian Defence Force (ADF) officials “in 2023 and 2024 due to development of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review”.

Instead, Mr Marles was briefed “through ‘other means’, including during conversations”.

The Prime Minister flatly rejected the finding when asked about it on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) has rejected revelations his deputy and Defence Minister Richard Marles (left) did not get key readiness briefings for years. Pictures: Martin Ollman / NewsWire

“Well, that’s just absurd, that’s just absurd,” Mr Albanese told Nine’s Today.

Pressed further, he said Mr Marles was “of course” briefed.

“That’s just ridiculous, frankly,” Mr Albanese said.

“I haven’t seen that report, but we sit in the National Security Committee with the Chief of the Defence Force.

“We meet regularly. I certainly have met with heads of all of the armed forces regularly, and that is just completely incorrect.”

He said the extra $57bn Labor had pumped into expanding capability “has come directly after discussions and engagement, obviously with Defence”.

“And in the last budget in March, indeed, we brought forward a billion dollars of additional spending, bringing to over $10bn our additional commitments over the forward estimates as well,” Mr Albanese said.

Preparedness reports detail what can be deployed in the event of a war or natural disaster – key information against a backdrop of looming conflict in the Indo-Pacific and increasingly common extreme weather events.

The Albanese government is resisting the Trump administration’s calls to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire / Nicolas Tucat / AFP

Labor’s handling of defence has come under a microscope since the US last month demanded Australia hike the ADF’s budget to 3.5 per cent of GDP.

Mr Albanese has resisted, saying Australia’s national security was a matter for Canberra, not Washington.

He has also said his government would first determine need and then allocate funds rather than set a flat GDP target.

But the government’s position has put Australia at odds with its allies across the world, with all NATO members bar Spain agreeing to lift defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP last week.

Closer to home, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea have all recently committed to spending more amid warnings from the Trump administration the region faces graver threats than Europe.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took a thinly veiled shot at Australia last week, saying if European countries can agree to hike defence spending, then US allies in the Indo Pacific “can do it as well”.

“I mean, look, if our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do it, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia-Pacific region can do it as well,” she said, responding to an Australian journalist.

“But as for our specific relations and discussions, I will let the President speak on those.”

Though whether the Trump administration would actually seek to mirror a NATO target for allies in the Indo Pacific remains unclear.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese denies defence minister kept in dark on defence readiness