With Australia's defence direction capability and spending under the microscope as recently seen at the ALP National Conference divisions on AUKUS this article from former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans is worth a read.

For those interested you can join IPAN's working group developing a paper on an Alternative Defence Policy for Australia https://ipan.org.au/alternative-defence-policy-for-australia/

"The big strategic question, raised squarely by the AUKUS submarine acquisition decision, is how long the echidna’s spiky quills need to be. Roggeveen argues, unequivocally, not long enough to be able easily to mount hostile operations against Chinese territory or in its near seas: “why compress the distance between us when we can exploit it?” The kind of capability our new nuclear-powered boats offer in this respect – if they are ever delivered – would no doubt be a useful marginal addition to US firepower in those waters should conflict erupt. But any such use would dramatically raise the stakes in terms of China’s hostility towards Australia. And, from my own direct experience as Foreign Minister during the first Gulf War, good luck in pretending that we will retain in practice any sovereign agency in resisting Washington’s pressure to so use them in any conflict."

https://johnmenadue.com/a-compelling-voice-for-rethinking-australias-national-security/