Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This Labor government is unserious about defence. Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz famously said:

The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.

He said that in 1832, but it is as true today as it was then. Prime Minister Albanese's current defence spending would deliver the conqueror his preference, and Australia would find it difficult to defend itself in the face of aggression. This is a dire proposition, because Australia faces an existential threat now—a real one. It is the threat of a regional conflict becoming global. If this is realised, it will be the worst human catastrophe on record. Our experts in defence and national security have warned of this escalating threat for 3½ years, and yet the Labor government has cut back defence in real terms. Indeed, the Chinese Communist Party came to the very heart of our democracy this week to remind the Prime Minister of the CCP's 2027 ambition to subjugate democratic Taiwan.

The Australian people need to better understand the gravity of the situation in our region and how this Labor government is negligent by not bringing honesty to the conversation. We need defence through strength, peace through deterrence and leaders making the hard decisions that will pay dividends by directly saving Australian lives, because spending now safes lives later. We need to avoid the unavoidable war. That starts with recognising the threat before us and funding our defence forces appropriately.