As Australia moves closer to a federal election, national security has emerged as a major Coalition government campaign pillar, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) cast as the primary strategic challenge facing the nation. The government has  gone on the offensive with respect to the opposition Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) record on national security and, in particular, its approach to the PRC, an increasingly heated clash of views and political rhetoric.

There is divergence between the major parties with respect to how policy should be effected, with the ALP stressing the need for a greater emphasis on diplomatic tone and conduct, but what are the differences between the parties on policy substance? This detailed study demonstrates that the incumbent Coalition government and the opposition Labor Party broadly coalesce on national security and, in particular, their respective approaches towards PRC policy. This agreement is unsurprising in the face of a PRC that has adopted a more aggressive posture on the world stage, not least in its adoption of coercive economic measures against a wide range of Australian export industries. The period from late 2016, after all, has witnessed a fundamental reassessment in both parties of the PRC relationship.

There has not been a federal poll fought predominantly on issues of foreign affairs since 1966. This detailed study demonstrates that the incumbent Coalition government and the opposition Labor Party broadly coalesce on national security and in particular their respective approaches towards PRC policy. This is unsurprising in the face of a Beijing that has adopted a more aggressive posture on the world stage, not least in its adoption of coercive economic measures against a wide range of Australian export industries. There has been a fundamental reassessment by both parties of Australia’s relationship with the PRC since late 2016.