Securing Australia

Delivering 'Force 2030'

The 2009 Defence White Paper provides a comprehensive plan for Australia's national security to 2030.

The plan is built upon greater funding certainty for Defence through average real growth in underlying defence funding of 3 per cent a year until 2017‑18, new stable indexation arrangements that reduce Defence budget volatility, and an extensive program of savings and reinvestment.

The Strategic Reform Program is an ambitious reform program that will drive deep reforms and efficiencies throughout the Defence organisation to 2030, and deliver around $20 billion in

savings in the next decade alone, to be reinvested in Defence priorities.

Together, these actions will allow for next‑generation capabilities to be acquired, such as combat aircraft, armoured vehicles and submarines.

The Government is also providing $1.7 billion in the 2009‑10 Budget for military operations, including in Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

National and border security

The Government is providing a significant boost to Australia's border security, with $1.3 billion being committed in this Budget to enhance

national security and border protection and to combat people smuggling.

The Government has allocated $654 million over six years for a whole‑of‑government strategy to combat people smuggling and strengthen border security. This includes strengthened engagement in source and transit countries for people smuggling, and $365 million for aerial and maritime surveillance of our waters.

The 2009‑10 Budget also provides $685 million over four years to strengthen our national security framework, funding measures across aviation security, counter‑terrorism, foreign policy, enhanced regional security cooperation and e‑security.