@ISIDEWITHQuestionsForeign policyStarted 9yrs agoActive 19hrs ago

Should the government increase or decrease military spending?

Should Australia increase or decrease military spending?

In February 2016 the government announced that military spending will increase Military spending will grow by $29.9b through 2026. Australia’s military budget is the 12th largest in the world. The 2016 increase will rank Australia 9th amongst world Defence budgets as a percentage of GDP. Proponents of a larger budget argue that it is necessary due to recent disagreements between the US and China in the South China sea. Critics of a larger budget argue that it sets off an unnecessary arms race and will provoke China into creating a larger naval force to offset it.

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Response rates from 1.7k Independents voters.

43%
Increase
30%
Decrease
36%
Increase
30%
Decrease
7%
Increase, but only after our deficit is drastically reduced

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Independents voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9ZPK338answered…1wk1W

Increase, but only for defence purposes and decrease when the likelihood of Australia going to war decreases significantly

 @8P56752answered…4yrs4Y

Only if there is a need for it

 @9W9N8RVanswered…1mo1MO

Focus on a defensive stance with contributing capability to UN sanctioned activities. No coalitions of the willing.

 @9SZDRBQanswered…3mos3MO

I think we spend a decent amount on ADF services, but should increase funds towards menatl health support.

 @9RKZCVBanswered…4mos4MO

Increase, but redirect funds towards diplomacy, peace, cybersecurity, war crime prevention, and other incentives.

 @9QS3S9Lanswered…5mos5MO

Increase, and redirect funds towards diplomacy, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, support to civil authorities, physical training, self-improvement, technological and scientific advancements, cyber defense and more non-violent responsibilities

 @9PSLVTYanswered…5mos5MO

Increase, but use funds to promote diplomacy, peace and cooperation, as well as justice to hold war criminals accountable.

 @9M8CT84answered…7mos7MO

Yes, Australia should increase military spending, but we need to make sure that the cost of military spending is not outrageous or a dumb future plan like a nuclear sub, which bought six but added extra 2 more subs that the military doesn't have enough people to join the navy to operate the sub.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…3wks3W

Trump's Deportation Storm: America Braces for Mass Exodus of Immigrants

For months, immigration advocates have been planning for the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Now, their worst fears have arrived.Immigrants’ rights groups have spent the last year preparing for a second Trump term and an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system, analyzing Trump’s proposals, drafting legal briefs, coordinating messaging and organizing aid for immigrants and asylum seekers. They responded to Trump’s victory with alarm and vowed to put up a fight, setting the stage for four more years of contentious court battles with his administration.Some are already preparing to push current leadership at the Department of Homeland Security to take steps to stymie the incoming Trump team, particularly on immigrant detention and the use of AI in enforcement.“We should expect to see the devastation of immigrant communities all over the country. We should expect to see family separation,” said Kica Matos, the president of the National Immigration Law Center. “It is entirely possible that he will try to use the military to carry out deportations, so that means that Americans all over the country will see the military engaging in enforcement against civilian populations, which is horrifying.”Trump, after winning a historic victory on a platform of turbo-charged immigration enforcement, has said he will conduct mass deportations at a scale never before seen. Immigrant advocates have warned this would be expensive and inhumane, separating families and wrecking communities. The president-elect has also vowed to build huge detention camps, hire thousands more border agents, funnel military spending toward border security and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel suspected members of drug cartels and criminal gangs without court hearings.He has also said he would end “catch-and-release” — allowing migrants to remain free, often with monitoring, while they await immigration court hearings — and restore a policy from his first term requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are processed. And he has dodged questions about whether he would try to bring back family separation.

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