In the course of the recent political auction which produced our “hung” (“unhinged”?) parliament, all bidders were careful not to disturb one ancient Australian bipartisan tradition: no searching and insightful debate about the defence of our country. How like us! One historical example will swiftly serve to demonstrate the characteristic quality and wisdom of our defence thinking ever since Federation: in 1933 Hitler came to power in Germany; Canberra chose that same year to slash Australia’s defence budget to the lowest level to which it had then sunk. Such reflections are raised by a recent and most readable small book…
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