Missiles or Medicare? Is Australia Overspending on Defence at the Cost of Social Services?
Posted by: r23
25th May 2025 05:22pm
Is Australia’s massive defence spending under AUKUS justifiable given other pressing domestic needs?
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Comments 5
abarnes
No, it’s not justifiable because we are not currently under attack. But I guarantee you would feel differently if there were foreign jet aircraft in our skies and their warships in our waters.
My utopia would be for all nations to completely disarm…just stop it! Look at history and learn to play nicely with everyone in the sand box. Instead, channel all the trillions upon trillions of dollars towards saving this planet.
Unfortunately, a Roman author around the 4th or 5th century AD, clearly someone smarter than me, once said, ‘if you want peace, prepare for war.’
chickenman
Defence spending is absolutely necessary because we need the capacity and means to defend ourselves if needed. while Social Services also need priority spending the cost can come from other sectors.
heeleen
I personally think we are not building up our defence forces fast enough, anything like this costs a lot of money, but to protect our country it is needed, so much global conflict around the world, look at China, and how close to North Korea and even Russia is a worry. I would like my grandchildren to grow up in a peaceful world but that is not the way it is anymore. At least we should be able to let them grow up feeling protected .
Sad but true, the world is changing and not all of it is good.
Alice3271
I tend to agree with AdelaideM, with the way today’s world is heading, countries do need to invest in deals like AUKAS and stay up to date with the latest defence tech, however so many of us are living and feeling the struggling of the cost of living crisis that’s the effects are going to be astronomical for our generations to come if we don’t start tackling it now! Desperate times call for desperate measures and people will do anything it takes to feed, clothe and keep their family warm and safe. We need to look after our own first before anything else otherwise, who will be left to fight for us?!
AdelaideM
Unfortunately I think the cost is not justifiable.
I do think we need to spend money on Defence, and in today's climate I believe it's important to keep ourselves up to date with the latest in defense technologies and training, but the AUKUS deal is spending so much without enough of a feasible, tangible result.
With so many people struggling day-to-day, we just can't afford to be spending so much on a questionable deal!