Morrison finds billions for warfare
Scott Morrison has announced that the Australian government will spend $270 billion on “defence capabilities” over the next ten years. That’s an increase of $70 billion over the planned military budget .
What’s he buying? Among the purchases outlined in Morrison’s announcement are $800 million worth of long range anti-ship missiles purchased from the US Navy, plus a “massive underwater surveillance system ... which could include unmanned submarines”, according to an ABC report. Billions will also be dedicated to cyber capabilities, which the prime minister promises “will extend well beyond defence capabilities ... providing assistance to federal, state and territory law enforcement agencies”.
It’s a massive increase to Australia’s military spending, and it’s a smack in the face to millions of people who are unemployed in an economic crisis and have no idea how long the JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments will last. It’s an insult to students and workers fighting back against funding cuts to tertiary education.
What could we buy with that $270 billion – or even just the $70 billion that’s being added to the expected military budget?
As the global pandemic rages, we could be massively expanding the public health system, building new medical centres and manufacturing equipment to make sure there’s no risk of the system being overloaded in a major outbreak.
Neglected public housing has led to a potentially disastrous outbreak of coronavirus in Melbourne. With tens of billions of dollars, we could refurbish the existing public housing stock and build new public housing, so everyone could be guaranteed safe, clean and spacious housing in a pandemic rather than worrying about overcrowding, unhygienic conditions and the threat of homelessness.
Communities affected by the bushfires still need help immediately. Survivors are still living in sheds and tents, waiting for their houses to be rebuilt.
We could be spending that money on renewable energy, so we don’t emerge from the pandemic into a world facing more havoc from climate change.
And all these programs could provide humane and worthwhile jobs for those facing unemployment as the pandemic crashes the economy.
But this isn’t where hundreds of billions of dollars are being directed. The Australian political class can always find money for war, but can’t seem to imagine massive investment in human life and dignity.
So, of course, Morrison’s announcement has been supported by the so-called opposition. Labor’s defence spokesperson, Richard Marles, was quoted by the ABC explaining that “COVID-19 is changing the world around us ... Labor supports strong defence resilience for Australia”.
Right-wing politicians sometimes claim to favour “small government”. But it’s a lie. They just prefer to spend money on coercion and violence. When the prime minister says the region is becoming “poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly”, he is signalling that the Australian state’s response will be primarily violent, just as a poorer neighbourhood gets more spending on violent cops.
By boosting military funding, Morrison is following an imperialist logic that threatens to take us to the precipice of war and global destruction. It’s a logic shared by the ruling classes of the US and China.
In order to prevent the seemingly inevitable clash of imperial states, we will need renewed solidarity of the international working class. Workers here have to fight against the ruling class and political elites spending money on weapons of war instead of health care and housing.
