The Briefing

Why is Australia spending $270 billion on defence in a recession?

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Episode notes

In a time of economic hardship should we be spending less on defence rather than more? As we grapple with the decision about extending Job Keeper... the government announced $270b in weapons spending. Sam Dastyari has openly criticised the move and joins us on the podcast, along with a defence analyst who has a very different view - Professor Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University.

 

In today's headlines:

• Victorians say locked down towers feel like a prison
• Kanye West is running for President
• Annika Smethurst explains the Eden-Monaro by-election result
• Alleged victim says Prince Andrew “should be panicking”

 

In today's Briefing we ask: was the timing of this announcement about winning votes? Is now a good time to shore up our military capability? How does this compare to aid we spend in the Pacific? Is buying weapons the best use of cash? What are the defence implications of not spending this money? What are the risks to Australia's security? Are we really a match for other larger countries military interests?