Key Points
- Anthony Albanese will promise Defence enough resources to 'deter potential aggressors' in the Indo-Pacific.
- But the prime minister will stress diplomacy with China as key to stability in the region.
- The government will also hold a cyber security roundtable to prevent another Optus-style hack.
Australia's armed forces will be given the resources they need to "deter potential aggressors" in an increasingly volatile Indo-Pacific, Anthony Albanese has declared.
But the prime minister used a major speech to stress Labor remains committed to lowering tensions in the region by maintaining an open dialogue with China.
In a wide-ranging address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr Albanese described to building deeper ties with Australia's Pacific neighbours.
in 2021, Australia abandoned a decision to bolster its submarine fleet through a deal with France, instead opting fo
But after reports in British media that London believed delivery of the warships could take "some time", Mr Albanese insisted Defence will have the means to close "capability gaps" currently impacting Australia's war readiness.
"I can promise all Australians that our government will ensure that Defence has the resources it needs to defend our nation and deter potential aggressors," he said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says nuclear submarines will remain under Australia's complete discretion. Source: SBS News
'Value of dialogue'
Mr Albanese flatly rejected suggestions the AUKUS agreement could see Australia's partners deploy its submarines anywhere against its wishes during a conflict.
"Australia will maintain our sovereignty. That's a decision for Australia as a sovereign nation, just as the United States will maintain its sovereignty and the United kingdom will maintain its," he said.
The government is still assessing the Defence Strategic Review, which it received last week, with Mr Albanese revealing an unclassified version will be released publicly before the May budget.
Defence Minister Richard Marles last week said the report, the result of a six-month review into the state of Australia's armed forces, will "underpin our Defence policy for decades to come".
Mr Albanese's comments come after Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarity told a Senate committee that Australia had abandoned a previously "fundamental assumption" that it would have at least a decade to prepare for war.
"We are assuming that significant conflict might break out in the Indo-Pacific in less time than that," he said last week.
Mr Albanese has stressed the importance of dialogue with China. Source: Getty / Yan Yan/Xinhua
"We better look in the cupboard and bring out everything ... And then mesh all of our tools with all of your tools, and figure out how to use all of that to prevent a conflict," he said told a group of Australian journalists.
But Mr Albanese also stressed diplomacy as a vital means to stabilise Australia's relationship with Beijing.
"Recognising the value of direct dialogue, seeking to co-operate where we can, while being prepared to disagree where we must. And always acting in our national interest and in support of regional stability," he said.
Action on climate change will also prove an "entry ticket" to productive conversations with other nations in the region, Mr Albanese said.
In , ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said the Indo-Pacific was "home to great power competition", with the power of the US contested by the rise of China, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Kashmir.
"The region is home to some of the planet’s fastest-growing populations, fastest-growing economies, and fastest military build-ups," he said.
Cyber threat
After major data breaches at and toward the end of last year, Labor will also convene a cyber security roundtable, to be attended by private sector representatives and Australia's security agencies.
Mr Albanese described the summit, to be held in Sydney next week, as an "important step" on the road to a national cyber security strategy, to be released later this year.
"Our collective cyber capability is, of course, a critical asset for our national security and – as the data breaches of last year highlight – it is vital to protect our economy, our businesses, and our privacy," he said.
"[Home Affairs Minister] Clare O'Neil and I will be bringing together representatives from industry, civil society, security agencies, and the public service to discuss the shared imperative we all have to upgrade and uplift our cyber security."
National Cabinet in February agreed to work through a national firearms registry after in what Queensland law enforcement said was a planned ambush.
"We understand that keeping Australians safe means supporting our intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies to guard against threats abroad and here at home, whether that be foreign interference and espionage, or violent extremism in all its forms," Mr Albanese said.
