Australia gives defence budget a moderate lift
Australia announced its defence budget for FY2018/19 on 8 May, with the total amounting to A$36.4 billion ($27.2 billion). This figure is in line with government promises for military expenditure to reach 2% of GDP by FY2020/21.
The budget, which includes funding for the Australian Signals Directorate, represents a rise of A$1.2 million, or 1.4%, compared to last year. As a share of GDP, the defence budget now reaches 1.9%.
The 207-page defence budget document listed A$160.7 billion in forward estimates, a term used to describe the current budget plus the three successive ones. Malcolm Turnbull’s government thus predicts a
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