Dutton vows to grow defence spending with $21 billion promise

An elected Coalition Government will invest more than $21 billion within five years to take defence spending as a share of GDP to 2.5 per cent, and a longer-term defence spending goal of 3 per cent of GDP within a decade.
It is a faster rate of proposed spending compared to the Labor Party, which has a goal to take defence spending to 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033-34.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has committed in the budget papers to spending $57.6 billion during the next decade.
Behind in the published polls, the Coalition is making the announcement during the week of Anzac Day, hoping to gain support from undecided voters.
Part of the Coalition's pitch is to buy a fourth squadron of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.
Liberal leader Peter Dutton will announce the Coalition's plan in Perth tomorrow.
'The Coalition will strengthen the Australian Defence Force and support our servicemen and women to keep us safe today and into generations ahead,' Dutton said.
'The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister regularly tell Australians that we live in the most precarious period since the end of the Second World War. Yet, over the last three years, Labor has done nothing about it, other than rip money out of defence, weakening strength and morale.'
Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie says, 'by increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP within five years, the Coalition is ensuring the Australian Defence Force can equip our servicemen and women with the capabilities needed to defend our nation.
'There must be a sense of urgency to equipping the ADF and rebuilding our sovereign defence industrial base following three years of neglect under Labor,' he said.
'A Dutton Coalition Government will back Australian workers and businesses in defence industry to develop the sovereign capabilities our country needs. They are a critical enabler to the Australian men and women in uniform.'

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