Channelling a new generation of hip and cool appeasers, our Prime Minister seems to get his priorities dangerously wrong. From his failed Voice Referendum to his celebration of Assange’s return (after a plea bargain where Assange was convicted under the US Espionage Act), Albo loves nothing better than being in the spotlight for his trendy actions.
The Prime Minister who ‘gets things done’ wants to appear hip and cool. But nothing can be further from the truth.
Whether it is the economy, energy, social cohesion, handling of the current antisemitism crisis, or issues affecting the Indigenous population, Albo is hell-bent on being on the ‘right side of history’.
But one cannot control the past or the future and he is neglecting the present.
Our national security situation is a question of life and death. The present consists of heightened regional tensions stoked by an increasingly aggressive China, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the Hamas/Hezbollah aggression against Israel. National security should be on top of the Albanese government’s agenda. And yet it seems Albo has no stomach for (and perhaps understanding of) facing the current threats to our sovereignty and independence.
Frequent ‘grey-zone’ aggression against the men and women of our ADF by China’s People’s Liberal Army (PLA) go without any real consequence and it is only a question of time until we will mourn the loss of life. Chinese aggressions warrant leadership and a public discussion on Australia’s defence.
And this is where Albo is completely lacking. Apart from some statements from our Defence Department calling out the PLA for its unsafe and unprofessional interaction, we seem to follow Penny Wong’s dogma of ‘de-escalation’ instead of pushing back as our allies do.
Has the pivot to a thawing of relations with China – recently signalled by China’s ‘panda diplomacy’ – made us safer? The continuing interference with our sovereignty, including the control of the Chinese diaspora in Australia, cyber interference, and increasing grey-zone aggression should make national security a priority.
Working with our allies, from the US to Nato, is a clear necessity but it is something this government does not seem to cherish.
Albo shunned attending the Ukraine summit in June (opting to send Bill Shorten, our NDIS Minister instead). This was an attempt to appear nonpartisan in relation to one of our century’s greatest threats to peace. Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison provided lethal support whereas Albo has ignored direct pleas by Ukraine for lethal aid.
Further, Albo failed to send naval support to defence global and Australian shipping from attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Instead, he sent a handful of headquarters staff.
More recently, Australia’s contribution to the biennial, US-led ‘Rim of the Pacific’ war games has been ‘dramatically’ scaled back to 80 per cent of the 2022 contribution, ‘the smallest in decades’. This news came on the back of Albo’s decision not to attend the coming Nato summit in Washington.
Australia is one of Nato’s Enhanced Opportunity Partner in the region. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Richard Marles is being sent to the summit instead. But this is purely damage control.
Australia’s weakened defence capability, plagued by defects, maintenance issues, and poor recruitment, sends a ‘dangerous message’ to our allies and enemies.
This disregard for our Western allies’ resolve to help democracy comes during a time of darkness and despite shared security interests in the region. To take a rain check to ‘focus on domestic affairs’ is the wrong signal and reeks of arrogance at worst and of a lack of geopolitical statesmanship at best.
Simon Birmingham aptly summed up what is wrong with Albo’s priorities:
‘National security is the top responsibility of the government, and the idea that Anthony Albanese would rather be campaigning to shore up Labor marginal seats than sitting down with the Nato leaders to ensure global security and our national security interests are heard, is an appalling representation of his priorities.’
We can’t help but think Albo is continuing to pander (or is it panda?) to voters who subscribe to the trendy political issues that are dominating the left.
But national security is serious business.
Albo may think he is being hip and cool but the political division he is creating domestically is now combining with the existential threat created by a lack of focus on our national security priorities.
Combined with the recent vandalism of our sacred war memorials on Anzac Parade in Canberra, we now must fear not only external aggressors, but the enemy within. And there is nothing hip and cool about that.
Professor Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann is Professor in Law and Co-Convener National Security Hub, University of Canberra, and a Research Fellow with the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University. He is also a Fellow with Nato SHAPE – ACO Office of Legal Affairs where he works on Hybrid Threats and Lawfare.
Dr Michael de Percy is a political scientist and political commentator. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTA), and a Member of the Royal Society of NSW. He is National Vice President of the Telecommunications Association, Chairman of the ACT and Southern NSW Chapter of CILTA, and a member of the Australian Nuclear Association. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and was appointed to the College of Experts at the Australian Research Council in 2022.