There have been credible studies conducted that show that the bigger the gap between rich and poor, then the greater will be the level of instability and violence.

Spending more on weapons is only seeking to treat a symptom instead of addressing the cause.

With lots of money being spent on weapons around the world we need to ask, cui bono?

I think you guys are being incredibly naive.

Australia has one of the smallest per capita military budgets in the civilised world. You want peace? As history proves again and again,(eg France 1940) the best way to ensure peace is to prepare for war.

As it stands we are extremely dependant on the US for our defence needs. Given that most of you lot (based on your many previous postings) would like to see Australia less beholden to the US, you ought to be in favour of us being less dependant on them. Only when our leaders really believe we can look after ourselves can you lot really expect our leadership (labour or liberal) to take foreign policy positions which are not strongly influenced by the interests and preferences of our US ally.

Our long term survival depends on either a strong military or a strong alliance with the US.

Peace, man