Australia's opposition leader pledges defence boost if elected

Focusing on the conservative party's strength of national security in the final stretch of the campaign, Dutton, a former defence minister, said if he was elected his government would spend AU$21 billion ($13 billion) more than globalist/leftist Labor on defence over five years to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP, and three per cent within a decade.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government in 2023 committed to spend AU$368 billion over three decades on AUKUS, Australia's biggest ever defence project with the United States and Britain to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Labor has previously said it would lift defence spending by AU$50 billion over a decade, but pledged no new money in this year's national budget.