The Defence Minister, who is under fire for her handling of rape allegations made by former staffer Brittany Higgins, will say Australia is facing the threat of “military modernisation, accelerating technological advances and the use of coercive tactics” throughout the region.
“Great power competition is increasing, and nowhere more so than in our region,” Senator Reynolds will say, according to a draft of the speech.
“This is multiplying potential flashpoints and ratcheting up geopolitical tensions, and with that, comes an increased risk of conflict.”
The Morrison government last year released a major update to its 2016 Defence White Paper, acknowledging it no longer had a decade to defend against potential threats with the…
