Jacqui Lambie lashes US defence spend request and points to ADF ‘personnel crisis' as primary national security concern
Defence Minister Richard Marles met with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore last week to discuss the key priorities of the US-Australia alliance in the face of a potential Chinese offensive in Taiwan within the next two years.
The figure of 3.5 per cent of GDP was revealed by a US Department of Defence readout released on Sunday as the amount requested for Australia to increase its spending to, a major increase from the Albanese government's prospect of 2.33 per cent.
Speaking to Sky News on Monday morning, Ms Lambie said the additional funding would be a 'disgusting waste' of money.
Senator Jacqui Lambie has hit out at US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's request for additional military spending and pointed to the ADF 'personnel crisis' as Australia's primary national security concern. Picture: NewsWire/ David Clark
'Just ask Donald Trump to give us our money back for our submarines, mate,' Ms Lambie said.
'But look, now it'd be nice to lift our defence spending, there is no doubt about that, things are pretty tough out there at the moment but … we waste so much money in defence procurement and that's where we should be looking.
'You've only got to see those submarines, mate. Four billion dollars so far and we haven't got one scrap of bloody steel sitting in a harbour yet ready to go. I mean, that is just disgusting waste at its best.'
Ms Lambie said there was a 'personnel crisis' with hiring and retention in the ADF which the Tasmanian MP considered the 'biggest problem' concerning Australia's national security.
Asked what Australia should do about China's potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027, and whether Hegseth's request from Australia was justified, Ms Lambie compared the Australian army with China's PLA.
'I don't know, have you seen the size of the Chinese army? That's the first thing. And the second thing is this, have you seen the condition that ours is in?' she said.
'This is a problem that we've had … We have a personnel crisis in our military and something needs to be done.
'The only way young people are gonna go and join is when people in that uniform go out there and brag how great that job is. And right now, until you get the right mentoring, and you get right leadership in our defence, that is not going to turn around tomorrow.'
Ms Lambie said there was a 'personnel crisis' with hiring and retention in the ADF which the Tasmanian MP considered the 'biggest problem' concerning Australia's national security. Picture: Annette Dew
Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the Australian government was increasing its defence spend by $50 billion over the decade, which included the AUKUS agreement. Pictured is US nuclear-powered submarine USS Minnesota in Darwin Harbour. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin
Hegseth nudged Australia over the weekend to boost funding to 3.5 per cent of GDP and warned China could make a move on Taiwan by 2027 – a timeline Sky News considered in its documentary Are We Ready For War?
In his address at the summit, Mr Hegseth echoed the Trump administration's motto of maintaining 'peace through strength' and stressed the importance of restoring the 'warrior ethos'.
"There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Mr Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on the Communist nation since he took office in January.
Asked what help Australia could give to the US, Ms Lambie said she did not believe there was 'much'.
'We are absolutely exhausted. 20 years we followed them into the Middle East. We are still picking up the pieces from that and we will be picking that up, I reckon, for the next five years, without doubt,' she said.
'Right now, our troops are not in the condition to be in a war zone. Okay, maybe peacekeeping, but sure as hell not in a War Zone, mate. No way in hell.'
Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite joined Sky News and said the Australian government was increasing its defence spend over the next three years by $10.5 billion and $50 billion over the decade, which included the AUKUS agreement.
'We'll make decisions based on what we believe is in Australia's best interest. But we're doing that in partnership with our most important strategic allies. And that includes the United States and the UK,' he said.
In response, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said 3.5 per cent was a 'considerable jump' in defence spending but argued that she did not think Australians could currently put their hand on their hearts and 'feel confident'.
'This is a government who had absolutely no idea that China was performing live fire exercises off our coast or having spy ships circumnavigate around our nation. The federal government has two roles, keeping the national economy strong and keeping Australians safe,' she said.
'The reality, is our part of the world, Indo-Pacific, is where there is a lot of action, a lot of concerns and a lot of muscling up by China.'
Ms Hughes said the Prime Minister 'might like being Beijing's handsome boy' but he needed to 'stand up for Australians' and ensure defence was prepared for the worst.
'The Prime Minister is more interested in removing HECS debt to buy votes as opposed to investing in our nation's future,' she said.
'I think this government needs to have a serious look at what its priorities are to keep Australians safe, both economically and strategically in defence.'
Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) defence strategy senior analyst Malcolm Davis said Mr Hegseth's intervention in Australia's military budget benchmark was 'perfectly correct' and referenced his organisation's report which suggested making 3 per cent the minimum.
Mr Davis said the Defence Secretary's call to increase defence spending 'as soon as possible' was due to the 'dire' strategic circumstances Australia faced.
'We can't afford to say, 'oh, well, we'll get to 3 or 3. 5 per cent in 10 years'. No, it's got to be in the year or so, because the strategic circumstances that we're facing are so dire, so dangerous, that we cannot afford a leisurely rise up to 2.33 per cent, which is what the government's talking about, let alone anything more,' he said.
Dr Davis said China was 'deadly serious' about moving on Taiwan as its military has undergone rapid modernisation, rehearsals for blockading Taiwan, as well as President Xi Jinping telling the People's Liberation Army it needed to 'be ready to invade' by 2027.
In light of Ms Lambie's comments, that the ADF was depleted in personnel and resources, the ASPI defence strategy expert said Australia could still do an 'awful lot' if China jumped on Taiwan and the US asked for help.
'We can offer Australian military bases for the US and its allies to operate from. We're going to have US submarines operating out of Fremantle as part of Submarine Rotation Force-West under AUKUS. We can boost our investment in the guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise to start producing munitions at a much more rapid rate than what is currently planned for.
'And we can actually operate alongside in a combat role with certain types of military forces that we already have in terms of air power, strike operations and special forces.
'There's an awful lot that we can do that I think would be valuable to the US.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
8 minutes ago
- The Age
China is playing the long game to win its war with Trump
US President Donald Trump's trade war was meant to rebalance global power in the United States' favour. Instead, China is playing the long game, enduring short-term economic pain to shape any eventual deal to its advantage. The strategy appears to be working — for now. On Monday, Washington granted Beijing another 90-day reprieve, extending a pause on tariffs through November 10. China announced it would do the same. Markets welcomed the move, which offered some relief after months of tension. The delay will give Chinese President Xi Jinping's policymakers more time to plan their next move. Time is Xi's ally. So far, the clearest outcome of each round of talks has been a commitment to meet again. Despite Trump's insistence that China has taken significant steps to improve their trade relationship, Beijing has made no consequential concessions on any of his key concerns. (China has offered some small compromises, none on the scale of American demands.) The extension has come at a delicate time for China's economy, which is plagued by sluggish domestic demand and a slowdown in the property sector. Bloomberg Economics says that it is among the few major nations without a clear timeline or terms for a deal, while others have struck agreements to secure lower tariffs. Even with this reprieve, it notes, Beijing faces average US tariffs of 40 per cent — almost 25 percentage points above the global average. Loading This will hurt prospects for Chinese citizens, who have enjoyed more than three decades of near double-digit growth. The economy expanded by 5.2 per cent in April-June from a year earlier — enviable by global standards — but anxieties among the once-thriving middle class over the future for their children are rising. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, with joblessness at 14.5 per cent in June. That figure improved in recent months, but analysts point to significant challenges: More than 12 million university students are set to graduate with hopes of joining the workforce. Still, China is betting that despite these economic costs, it can fight this trade war to the end. Politically, Beijing is preparing the population for a long battle. State media editorials have lauded a Mao-era philosophy as a possible strategy to counter US pressure. They reference the former Chinese leader's 1938 essay ' On Protracted War ', which laid out his approach to combating the invading Japanese between 1937 and 1945. During a series of lectures in May and June 1938, Mao spoke of how the 'contest of strength is not only a contest of military and economic power, but also a contest of human power and morale'. Scholars say the idea was to alert his fellow citizens that the war would be long and gruelling, but could be won through endurance and unity.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This Sydney council wants to create a new Chinatown. It's not where you expect
Church Street in Parramatta is known for being the go-to spot for Eels fans before games kick off, its wide range of eateries and, now, the light rail. But on the south side of the street, next to Westfield Parramatta, the precinct is quiet. 'At the moment, it's obviously looking a little bit more tired with less restaurants and shopping opportunities,' Parramatta Labor Councillor Michael Ng said. A new proposal from the City of Parramatta Council is hoping to change that. At a meeting on Monday night, the council supported a motion, moved by Ng, to explore developing a Chinatown precinct along Church Street, between Fitzwilliam and Campbell streets. The next step is community consultation. The proposal envisions a distinctive destination for visitors, one that would reflect Parramatta's multicultural identity and support local businesses. Ng said the southern end of the CBD has always had a history of Chinese businesses, but it has experienced a decline with many shops closing down in recent years. He believes the council can reactivate the precinct by turning it into Parramatta's own Chinatown. 'We can see across Sydney, in Burwood, in Fairfield, in Cabramatta, these precincts bring communities and bring people. And what we're looking for is hoping to attract more young people to come to Parramatta,' he said. At the southern end of Church Street sits the Chinese Grocery, which Sid Chen has owned and run for about 18 months. Before that, he operated the gift shop that used to be next door.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
China is playing the long game to win its war with Trump
US President Donald Trump's trade war was meant to rebalance global power in the United States' favour. Instead, China is playing the long game, enduring short-term economic pain to shape any eventual deal to its advantage. The strategy appears to be working — for now. On Monday, Washington granted Beijing another 90-day reprieve, extending a pause on tariffs through November 10. China announced it would do the same. Markets welcomed the move, which offered some relief after months of tension. The delay will give Chinese President Xi Jinping's policymakers more time to plan their next move. Time is Xi's ally. So far, the clearest outcome of each round of talks has been a commitment to meet again. Despite Trump's insistence that China has taken significant steps to improve their trade relationship, Beijing has made no consequential concessions on any of his key concerns. (China has offered some small compromises, none on the scale of American demands.) The extension has come at a delicate time for China's economy, which is plagued by sluggish domestic demand and a slowdown in the property sector. Bloomberg Economics says that it is among the few major nations without a clear timeline or terms for a deal, while others have struck agreements to secure lower tariffs. Even with this reprieve, it notes, Beijing faces average US tariffs of 40 per cent — almost 25 percentage points above the global average. Loading This will hurt prospects for Chinese citizens, who have enjoyed more than three decades of near double-digit growth. The economy expanded by 5.2 per cent in April-June from a year earlier — enviable by global standards — but anxieties among the once-thriving middle class over the future for their children are rising. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, with joblessness at 14.5 per cent in June. That figure improved in recent months, but analysts point to significant challenges: More than 12 million university students are set to graduate with hopes of joining the workforce. Still, China is betting that despite these economic costs, it can fight this trade war to the end. Politically, Beijing is preparing the population for a long battle. State media editorials have lauded a Mao-era philosophy as a possible strategy to counter US pressure. They reference the former Chinese leader's 1938 essay ' On Protracted War ', which laid out his approach to combating the invading Japanese between 1937 and 1945. During a series of lectures in May and June 1938, Mao spoke of how the 'contest of strength is not only a contest of military and economic power, but also a contest of human power and morale'. Scholars say the idea was to alert his fellow citizens that the war would be long and gruelling, but could be won through endurance and unity.
