Australia to increase defence spending, security with an eye on a more assertive China, Ukraine war
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison points to China’s growing military footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and Russia’s war on Ukraine for the need to bolster its defence capability
- Announcement is seen as an election strategy as Morrison’s government trails the opposition Labor party in polls ahead of a ballot that must be held by May 21
The incumbent Liberal-National coalition announced A$9.9 billion (US$7.4 billion) in Tuesday’s budget for new positions, equipment and training for the country’s premier security agencies with a focus on cyberwarfare.
The government said the funding will create about 1,900 new jobs in the Australian Signals Directorate – engaged in electronic monitoring and surveillance of threats – over 10 years. The package was given the acronym Redspice, standing for Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers.
“This is the biggest ever investment in Australia’s cyber preparedness,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in his budget speech to parliament, adding that it would boost Australia’s “capacity to prevent and respond to cyber threats.”
