Australia's security challenges cannot be borne by the Department of Defence and armed forces alone. Australian governments have failed to deliver a comprehensive approach to national security. This report examines the government’s national security spending as a whole and reviews the attention given to the nation’s preparedness and resilience. It provides eight recommendations.

This report outlines how soaring debt repayments and a sharp reduction in lending have transformed China’s role in developing country finances from capital provider to debt collector. Mounting pressures from Chinese debts are especially severe for many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. A retrenchment in Western aid and trade is compounding these...

Australia faces increasing threats from natural disasters, pandemics and geopolitical tensions, necessitating robust preparedness mechanisms. This report recommends a road map of immediate, near-term and longer-term initiatives that the Australian Government should embrace. The report outlines building an effective national preparedness system, and the capabilities and capacities needed for it, using Finland as an exemplar.

This brief examines China's statements on foreign policy issues in the six months to mid-May 2025. It covers trade restrictions between China and the US; Taiwan’s reunification with China; tensions between the US and Europe; and the Russia-Ukraine War.

An overview of the response to recent allegations made against staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. It notes that Australia is putting in place new funding arrangements with more stringent staff neutrality conditions, as well as looking to diversify Australia’s aid funding.