Donna Demaio: Australian Correspondent on the US demands to up the defence spend

Australia's refusing to play ball with the US, which is demanding it up its defence spend to 3.5% of GDP as soon as possible.  

Australia's currently tracking to lift spending to 2.33% of GDP in the next eight years.  

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seems to be brushing off the demand.  

Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge that Albanese has said what you should do in defence is decide what you need, your capability, and provide for it, and that’s what his Government is doing. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our Australia correspondent is done tomorrow this morning, just gone
thirteen minutes away from top of the r and on
a good morning, Good morning to you. Good to have
you on the show as always. Now the Prime Minister
brushing off a US push to spend more on defense.
How much do they want?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Oh, well, the United States has very very strongly suggested
that Australia lift its defense spending to almost one hundred
billion dollars a year as soon as possible. They're saying,
because Australia must do more to support the US in
the Indo Pacific, as it's been put. Now we know
that the US Defense Secretary Pete heiks Eth conveyed this

(00:37):
message to the Defense Minister. They were on It was
a chat on the sidelines of a recent conference or gathering,
let's say in Singapore, and you know they did talk
about perhaps the increasing US tension with China. And so
now we've heard that they think that we should lift
Australia should lift its defense spending now it currently sits

(00:59):
at about two percent of and the US says, oh no,
it should lift to about three point five percent of
the GDP, adding about forty billion dollars. Now we've heard
from the PM and he says the country will not
be dictated to on defense spending. And they already had
planned to increase the defense spending from about two to

(01:19):
two point three three percent of Australia's GDP over the
next eight years. And so the PMS actually said, what
you should do in defense is decide what you need
your capability and then provide for it. That's what my
government is doing, so pretty much brushing off what the
US is suggesting Australia should do.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Okay, And what about this warning for Ozzie's heading to Indonesia.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yes, well, hundreds of thousands of Ozzi's love going to Indonesia,
particularly Bali. But there's an update from the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade Smart Traveler website urging travelers to
exercise a high degree of caution when they holiday in
this popular destination. As we know, and so we know
that there's been some incidents lately. Australians have drowned unpatrolled

(02:04):
beaches due to rough seas and strong rib currents. But
there's also been a caution against leaving food and drinks
unattended due to a risk in getting a drink spiked
and methanol poisoning, and there's been several cases reported in
Bali and nearby Lombok of late. So just be careful
out there tourists.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
All right. Probably a good warning for us too if
you guys are telling you a lot that. Hey, thank
you very much, Don and tomorrow our Australia correspondent. Nice
to have you on the show as all well. For
more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to
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