National security needs unity, not partisanship, in a world on the brink

The national interest demands a security debate based on vision, not viciousness and claims of disloyalty. Europe is on the brink of major war. Here in the Indo-Pacific, China’s coercion is part of a wider bid for dominance. The authoritarian pairing of an aggressive Russia and a bullying China confirm a world in systemic struggle, with Australia’s values, interests and partners on the defensive. We face layers of danger: violent extremism, terrorist plots, disinformation, foreign interference, crossborder crime, the fragility of supply chains and cyber-reliant infrastructure holding economies together. Two years of pandemic have taken millions of lives and shaken billions more. And everywhere the climate crisis rolls on. Together, these problems make a crowded horizon of risk stretching ahead a generation and more. People are worried, and no credible election campaign can wish away national security.