Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on April 16, 2026. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
The Albanese Labor government will spend an extra AU$14 billion (US$10 billion) on defence over the next four years, a figure that brings its commitment closer in line with expectations from the Trump administration.
The 2026 National Defence Strategy, released this week, outlines an additional $53 billion over the next decade—a rate of increase that is more rapid than what was promised in the 2024 version of the same document.
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