‘Ambitious’ defence spending in Northern Australia ‘essential’ to national security: Report

CANBERRA urgently needs to start making ‘ambitious investments’ in Defence capabilities in Northern Australia so that the country is able to survive another crisis like COVID-19, according to a new report.

CANBERRA urgently needs to start making “ambitious investments” in Defence capabilities in Northern Australia so that the country is able to survive another crisis like COVID-19, according to a new report.

In the report into Northern Australia’s role in national security, released by the Australian Strategic Institute today, author John Coyne said “an economically and socially prosperous Northern Australia is essential for our national security”.

“Our critical combat systems will, in the most likely future conflict scenarios, deploy from and perhaps even fight from and in Australia’s north and will need to be sustained in what’s likely to be quite intense war fighting,” Mr Coyne said.

“A paradigm shift in Australia’s policy thinking on Northern Australia is necessary to achieve those national security and resilience assurances.

“Without change, Australia might not be as lucky facing future national challenges as we’ve been so far.”

Canberra urgently needs to start making ‘ambitious investments’ in Defence capabilities in Northern Australia so that the country is able to survive another crisis like COVID-19, according to a new report. Picture: Cpl. Harrison Rakhshani

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Mr Coyne said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in Australia’s security and economic strategies, and that other counties are recognising the defence and energy potential in Northern Australia.

“COVID-19 has made it abundantly clear that Australia’s current economic policy model for nation-building infrastructure investment is far too narrowly focused,” he said.

“In contrast, Japan’s massive investment in energy resilience through the Inpex LNG plant near Darwin and SunCable’s proposal to build a $20-billion solar farm to supply power to Singapore show that others are thinking strategically about Northern Australia for their own prosperity and security.

“That should almost embarrass us into doing so, too, when it comes to nation building in the north.”

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The report’s recommendations include the appointment of a deputy-secretary within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet as a Northern Australia Adviser, and establishing a Minister for Northern Resilience and Development.

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