Australia boosts defense spending in response to Chinese assertiveness

[RandomGuy]

australia, a military ally of the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific, will increase defense spending under Prime Minister Tony Abbott after it fell to a seven-decade low, the government announced in its budget today.

The Liberal-National coalition committed A$122.7 billion to military spending in the four years through June 2018, A$9.6 billion more than the amount earmarked by the previous Labor government, Defense Minister David Johnston said in a statement. The government will bring forward A$1.5 billion of spending to fund purchases, he said.

Abbott is seeking to build out the country’s military capacity at a time of China’s rising assertiveness in the region. He’s committed to building new Collins-class submarines at facilities in South Australia state, buying 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and lifting defense spending from its lowest level since 1938 as a share of gross domestic product.

The government will provide defense with a “stable and sustainable funding growth path,” Johnston said in the statement.

Australia’s annual defense budget of A$25 billion will more than double in 10 years if the government increases spending to its target of 2 percent of GDP, according to a government-commissioned audit released this month.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-13/australia-pledges-to-lift-defense-spending-from-7-decade-low.html

[The Reckoning]

too bad china already owns a sizable amount of australia's mining rights, especially those of precious metals.

[The Reckoning]

here's a good read if anyone is interested. before abbott was PM, he was already planning anti-china measures

http://www.clmr.unsw.edu.au/article/compliance/mergers-%26-acquisitions/chinese-investment-australia-and-world-more-state-owned-companies-and-mines

[TDMVPDPOY]

him and his rich faggot friends already sold out, why even bother...they be on the first plane out of here if australia becomes a sovereignty of another, this is the same piece of shit who left his shithole of a country wherever he came from to turn this country into the shithole that he came from...

[CosmicCowboy]

72 F-35's?

Damn.

Wonder what the quid quo pro was for that one.

[boutons_deux]

Conservatives world-wide LOVE to saber rattle (MIC corporate welfare, really) and send other people's kids to war. Fuck 'em all

[The Reckoning]

Conservatives world-wide LOVE to saber rattle (MIC corporate welfare, really) and send other people's kids to war. Fuck 'em all


see boutons. now you know why i was bitching about other countries taking on the american model.

[The Reckoning]

and right now there are mass protests in australia because abbott cut funding across the board to erase debt then gave all this talk about how everyone needs to tighten their belts, etc etc.


then turns around and approves the militarization of australia.

aussies aint liking it.

[boutons_deux]

conservative assholes just plain suck everywhere.

Let's see what conservative shit Modi starts in India.

[TDMVPDPOY]

and right now there are mass protests in australia because abbott cut funding across the board to erase debt then gave all this talk about how everyone needs to tighten their belts, etc etc.


then turns around and approves the militarization of australia.

aussies aint liking it.

tyhe welfare check for under25 unemployed is cut, must wait 6months b4 gettin process, so what are they going to do? go live under a bridge

govt also cutting higher education contribution, UNIS can decide what price they charge, so now these youths cant afford to get higher education to get a better prospect job, lol

slowly turning this country like americas govt system...did i mention when this idiot came into power, he wanted to the taxpayers to buy him a plane like airforce1 ...what a piece of shit thinkn his president

[boutons_deux]

tyhe welfare check for under25 unemployed is cut, must wait 6months b4 gettin process, so what are they going to do? go live under a bridge

govt also cutting higher education contribution, UNIS can decide what price they charge, so now these youths cant afford to get higher education to get a better prospect job, lol

slowly turning this country like americas govt system...did i mention when this idiot came into power, he wanted to the taxpayers to buy him a plane like airforce1 ...what a piece of shit thinkn his president

conservatives fuckup everything in sight, eg, including your Great Barrier Reef to please BigCoal.

[RandomGuy]

here's a good read if anyone is interested. before abbott was PM, he was already planning anti-china measures

http://www.clmr.unsw.edu.au/article/compliance/mergers-%26-acquisitions/chinese-investment-australia-and-world-more-state-owned-companies-and-mines

Chinese have been building up their military for quite some time. No surprise that hawks in Australia were nervous before now.