IPAN Patrons: Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe & Kellie Tranter
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 24 October 2024
- Excessive military expenditure unjustified and not in Australia’s best interests
- Long range missiles to make Navy more lethal BUT will not make Australians safer
- Diplomacy must be bolstered and prioritised over militarism
- Defence Industry Minister assertion ‘We live in the greatest arms race in our region since 1945’ need to be questioned and challenged.
- Decision-making must be transparent, accountable and independent
“The constant barrage of military expenditure announcements by the Australian Government seems to have no end”, stated Ms Annette Brownlie, spokesperson for the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN).
Yesterday’s Government announcement of $7 billion to pay the USA for long range missiles to be deployed on Australia’s air warfare destroyers follows on the heels of $8 billion in handouts to the UK and USA (AUKUS related), $8 billion for the HMAS Stirling upgrade and $10 billion for the Henderson upgrade.
IPAN has grave concerns this is part of the USA preparing Australia to be a proxy in a US war on China.
Former Deputy Ambassador to China John Lander, speaking recently at the IPAN National Conference in Perth, asserted:
“The US is not preparing to go to war against China, it is preparing Australia to go to war against China”.
“It is preparing a number of countries in our region to be its proxies in such a war as it has done using Ukraine in war against Russia.”
Long range missiles installed on Australian naval ships are designed to hit land, air and sea-based targets not for territorial defence of Australia.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy assertions that ‘We live in a missile age’ and ‘We live in the greatest arms race in our region since 1945’ needs to be questioned and challenged.
Like AUKUS, these missiles represent another decision of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison that has simply been rubber-stamped by this Labor government, without the appropriate level of Government scrutiny nor public scrutiny. “All government decision-making must be transparent, accountable and independent”, stated Ms Brownlie.
While recent positive diplomacy with China from the Australian Government has seen better shared relations and trade barriers lifted, the arming up of offensive weaponry supplied by the USA stands in sharp contrast to the aims constantly reiterated by our Foreign Minister for ‘peace and stability’ in our region.
“The notion that the best way to avoid conflict with any potential adversary is deterrence must be challenged. Why is diplomacy not front and central in defence decision making”, asked Ms Brownlie.
“This excessive military expenditure is unjustified and not in the Australia people’s best interests. While long range missiles will make the Navy more lethal, they will not make Australians safer”, stated Ms Brownlie
The missiles further entrench the growing USA military presence in Australia which will only increase the likelihood of Australia being caught up in yet another US-led war and becoming a target for one of the USA’s adversaries”, stated Ms Brownlie.
Media Interviews: John Lander 0400 297 073 and Annette Brownlie 0431 597 256
Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815
Bio: Annette Brownlie is founding member of the Brisbane based community peace organisation, Just Peace Queensland, and the current (and inaugural) chairperson of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN). She has served in this position for a decade.
Bio: John Lander worked in the China section of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the lead-up to the recognition of the People’s Republic of China in 1972 and several other occasions in the 1970s and 1980s. He was deputy ambassador in Beijing 1974-76 (including a couple of stints as Chargé d’Affaires). He was heavily involved in negotiation of many aspects in the early development of Australia-China relations, especially student/teacher exchange, air traffic agreement and consular relations. He has made numerous visits to China in the years 2000-2024.