The Prime Minister has rejected suggestions that a multibillion-dollar commitment to establish a critical AUKUS defence precinct in WA is aimed at appeasing US President Donald Trump.
Announcing the $12 billion dollar commitment at Henderson in Perth on Sunday, Anthony Albanese denied the investment was spurred-on by pressure from the US administration to increase defence spending.
“This is an Australian decision for Australia’s national interest,” he said.
“We’re investing in our capability, that’s what we’re doing. We don’t respond to the needs of others.
“We respond to our own needs based upon the demand, based upon the assets that we need.”
The announcement comes just a week before Mr Albanese is due to head to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which could potentially play host to a first face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump.
The PM, nor his Defence Minister Richard Marles, would reveal whether the investment into the Henderson precinct would bring Australia’s total spending on defence closer to the 3.5 per cent, which the US administration has been pushing for.
“The way in which NATO accounts for its own spending in terms of percentage of GDP, based on that metric, our spending on GDP today in terms of defense is around 2.8 per cent,” he said.
“If you look at all the announcements that we’ve made, it is a significant increase over 10 years.
“Indeed, it is the biggest peacetime increase in Australia’s defence spending in our nation’s history.
“You don’t get more moving off the needle than that and every time we get up and do one of these announcements, that number grows.”
The Government expects to pour $25 billion into establishing the defence precinct over the coming decade.
It will include facilities to support Australia’s surface combatant vessels and docking space for the future conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine fleet to be delivered under the AUKUS agreement.
The first of the subs are expected in the early 2030s.
https://thewest.com.au/politics/federal-politics/prime-minister-anthony-albanese-denies-aukus-deal-in-wa-to-appease-us-president-donald-trump-c-20013625
