CT Group Defence research – The Australian

With pressure on governments around the world to increase defence spending, The Australian has covered CT Group research on voter perceptions of national security risks, the AUKUS agreement and priorities for increased spending.

Just over 2000 voters were surveyed in each of the AUKUS nations for the research. A challenge for the Government and the defence industry is that although voters in Australia are increasingly aware of the AUKUS agreement, favourability is declining.

Australian voters, by a large margin, still consider affordability challenges the main priority for government. This is part of a broader underlying reality that is driving a lot of the political dynamics and policy making in Australia.

As CT Group Australia MD Catherine Douglas told The Australian, voters are feeling a deep sense of insecurity.

“Many feel a loss of agency where everyday affordability challenges bleed into concerns about Australia’s place in the world. There is a strong view that the country is going to be less ­secure in the years ahead,” Ms Douglas said.

The research shows the challenge with building confidence in the need for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact. Voters see managing cyber risks and protecting attacks on critical infrastructure as significantly more important for defence investment than traditional capabilities and submarines.

“While there is already significant investment committed to submarines through AUKUS, there is a clear imperative to communicate why this is necessary as a way of rebuilding faith in the trilateral partnership and to connect this investment to the perceived threat of cyber attack,” she said.