logo
Melissa Price: PM must be clear-eyed to security threat posed by China

Melissa Price: PM must be clear-eyed to security threat posed by China

West Australian20-07-2025
The first duty of the Australian Government is to keep Australians safe and the nation secure.
This duty intensifies when the Government declares that Australia is confronting its most complex strategic environment in 80 years.
In large part this is because of the rapid expansion of China's People's Liberation Army, which our Minister for Defence has described as the biggest increase in military capability and build-up in a conventional sense by any country since World War II.
At such a time, you would rightly expect the Government to not just be talking about the threat, but to be working to make us as strong as possible, as fast as possible.
Regrettably, that is not what our Government is doing.
The Prime Minister has not budged on defence spending which not only limits our own strategic capability, but has the secondary effect of undermining the backbone of our security policy — our alliance with the United States.
The US has served as the guarantor of regional stability since WWII. This role hasn't been limited to our region, and it has been costly for the US taxpayer.
The US is currently US$37 trillion in debt and the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have many Americans asking why America's allies aren't bearing more of the cost burden to guarantee their own defence.
This push from the Americans culminated in NATO countries last month committing to lift core defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP and a further 1.5 per cent of GDP on broader defence and security related investments by 2035.
The Trump administration has called on Australia to increase our own defence spending and is currently reviewing the AUKUS agreement.
I'm a believer in AUKUS and proud to have been part of the team as minister for defence industry who secured it. Obtaining nuclear submarines will serve as a significant deterrent to future attacks on Australia.
To ensure the continuation of this agreement, it is imperative we demonstrate that we are a credible ally. This means investing enough to operate and maintain these submarines, while not skimping out on other defence priorities.
The Coalition took to the last election a policy to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP over the next 10 years and we are prepared to work in a bipartisan manner with the Government to deliver increased investment.
Like NATO we should also strengthen our sovereign industrial base and commit to greater funding to protect our critical infrastructure against attacks including cyber. As shadow minister for cyber security, I understand that cyber security is national security.
As the Government's last annual cyber threat report outlined, state-sponsored cyber operations are an ongoing concern.
These actors are engaged in intelligence gathering, interference, coercion and are working to gain a foothold within critical networks. Should the strategic environment deteriorate significantly, Australia could face major and disruptive cyber attacks.
This is an awkward fact for the Prime Minister to navigate with him last week in China. While they are our major trading partner, they are also the source of our consternation.
This was an important trip for the Australia-China relationship, but it could also send the wrong message to our US allies.
The Prime Minister should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
He should advocate for continued trade with China, which is vital for our economic prosperity, particularly here in WA, but he must be clear-eyed about our national security and call out unacceptable behaviour.
Reiterating where we stand will send an important message to the US as AUKUS remains under review.
This is assuming the Prime Minister's failure to meet with President Trump since the November election, his bizarre John Curtin Oration, and his resistance to increase defence spending haven't spoiled the deal already.
If not, there is still a lot of work to be done.
While we may not get our first submarines until the early 2030s, US and UK submarines are set to begin rotating through HMAS Stirling in 2027. Our readiness to host these submarines will be an early test and critical in signalling our commitment to AUKUS.
State and Federal Labor need to put their shoulder to the wheel to get that part of AUKUS right, otherwise we can almost kiss goodbye having our own fleet of nuclear submarines.
Australia is at a crossroads. It is past time the Prime Minister gets serious.
Melissa Price is the Member for Durack
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Setback for Australia-EU trade talks after Trump's tariff twist
Setback for Australia-EU trade talks after Trump's tariff twist

AU Financial Review

time20 minutes ago

  • AU Financial Review

Setback for Australia-EU trade talks after Trump's tariff twist

Canberra's hopes for a swift conclusion to free trade negotiations with the European Union have vanished, just as Donald Trump has indicated that the minimum 10 per cent import tariff he imposed on all Australian goods could be lifted to 15 or 20 per cent. After negotiations between Australia and the EU collapsed in October 2023, the parties rekindled talks in June this year as both sought insurance against the impact of Trump's global trade war.

US President Donald Trump ‘never had the privilege' of visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's island
US President Donald Trump ‘never had the privilege' of visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's island

7NEWS

time20 minutes ago

  • 7NEWS

US President Donald Trump ‘never had the privilege' of visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's island

US President Donald Trump says he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's island, saying he turned down an invitation from the convicted sex offender in what the president called a moment of good judgment. Trump's remarks were his latest effort to distance himself from the political furore over his administration's handling of files related to Epstein's case and renewed questions over his past relationship with the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019. 'I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down,' Trump told reporters during a trip to Scotland. 'In one of my very good moments, I turned it down.' Epstein owned a private island in the US Virgin Islands where he entertained prominent people from politics, business and entertainment. Prosecutors have alleged he used the compound to conceal the sex trafficking and abuse of under-age victims. Trump, who socialised with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, also offered new insight into why their relationship ended. The US president said he cut ties after Epstein attempted to recruit staff who worked for Trump. 'He hired help. And I said, 'Don't ever do that again.' He stole people that work for me,' Trump said. 'He did it again. And I threw him out of the place persona non grata.' Last week, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump had cut ties with Epstein because he regarded him as a 'creep'. The White House has been under growing pressure from Trump's supporters and political opponents to release more information about the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein. After Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year promised to release additional materials related to possible Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death, the Justice Department reversed course this month and issued a memo concluding there was no basis to continue investigating and no evidence of a client list. Those findings sparked an angry outcry from some of Trump's supporters who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. Trump's efforts to deflect attention from the case have so far faltered. On Monday, the president again called the story 'a hoax'. 'It's a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion,' Trump said, saying Democrats controlled the Epstein files for several years and would have used them against him during the last presidential election if there was anything in them. Trump flew with Epstein aboard his plane at least six times, according to logs for flights spanning from 1991 through 2005. None of those trips were to Epstein's private island. Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Ukraine calls deadly Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia prison 'another war crime'
Ukraine calls deadly Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia prison 'another war crime'

ABC News

time36 minutes ago

  • ABC News

Ukraine calls deadly Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia prison 'another war crime'

Russian glide bombs and missiles have struck a Ukrainian prison and a medical facility overnight, killing at least 21 people, Ukrainian officials say. The Russian bombardment of civilian areas comes despite US President Donald Trump's threat to soon punish Russia with sanctions and tariffs unless it stops. A Russian air strike on a prison in Ukraine's south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others, officials said. In the Dnipro region, authorities reported at least four people were killed and eight injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, condemned the strikes as "another war crime" committed by Russia. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's regime, which also issues threats against the United States through some of its mouthpieces, must face economic and military blows that strip it of the capacity to wage war," Mr Yermak said on X. Mr Trump said on Monday he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 to 12 days to stop the killing in Ukraine after three years of war, moving up a 50-day deadline he had given the Russian leader two weeks ago. The move means Mr Trump wants peace efforts to make progress by August 7 to 9. Mr Trump has repeatedly rebuked Mr Putin for talking about ending the war but continuing to bombard Ukrainian civilians. But the Kremlin has not changed its tactics. "I'm disappointed in President Putin," Mr Trump said during a visit to Scotland. The Kremlin pushed back, however, with a top Putin lieutenant warning Mr Trump against "playing the ultimatum game with Russia". "Russia isn't Israel or even Iran," former president Dmitry Medvedev, who is deputy head of the country's Security Council, wrote online. "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country." Since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour, the Kremlin has warned Kyiv's Western backers that their involvement could end up broadening the war to NATO countries. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles along with 37 Shahed-type strike drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. They say 32 Shahed drones were intercepted or neutralised by Ukrainian air defences. The Russian attack close to midnight on Monday hit the Bilenkivska Correctional Facility with four guided aerial bombs, according to the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine. At least 42 inmates were hospitalised with serious injuries, while another 40 people, including one staff member, sustained various injuries. The strike destroyed the prison's dining hall, damaged administrative and quarantine buildings, but the perimeter fence held and no escapes were reported, authorities said. Ukrainian officials condemned the attack, saying targeting civilian infrastructure, such as prisons, was a war crime under international conventions. In Dnipro, missiles hit the city of Kamianske, partially destroying a three-story building and damaging nearby medical facilities, including a maternity hospital and a city hospital ward. Two people were killed and five were wounded, including a pregnant woman who is now in a serious condition, according to regional head Serhii Lysak. Further Russian attacks hit communities in Synelnykivskyi district with FPV drones and aerial bombs, killing at least one person and injuring two others. According to Lysak, Russian forces also targeted the community of Velykomykhailivska, killing a 75-year-old woman and injuring a 68-year-old man. AP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store