“Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is vulnerable to the application of that power. Second, to test our political and military responses. Third, to rehearse for wartime operations against Australia”. (Michael Pezzullo, ‘Australia's defences must be ready in two years. Here's what to do’, 8/3/25).

Pezzullo is the former Secretary for Home Affairs sacked because he allegedly engaged in “gossip and disrespectful critique” of government ministers.

He writes that the CCP'S circumnavigation of Australia, with live firing exercises, was “most likely” a test of how China could most effectively launch missile strikes on Australia's military facilities and national infrastructure.

Pezzullo advises that we should not “delude ourselves” that the Chinese action was a benign exercise conducted lawfully in International waters. See Albanese's mutterings.

The Australian government's initial response to the action “could not have been better scripted in Beijing itself”, in Pezzullo's opinion. He also believes that China's action was a “rehearsal” as well as an attempt at “strategic intimidation”, should Australia think about joining the in the protection of Taiwan, and the fact that Australia, as an ally of the US, would be a strategic geographical asset for for the US in any conflict between the two powers.

It is in the best interests of the CCP to neutralise Australia, as it is with other countries in the region, to deny the US - its number one enemy - the chance to get close to China.

Albanese's bragging about having a stabilised trading deal with China is no protection from being on China's military hit list.

So, we need to be ready by 2027, which is also the date that some of the pundits are predicting China will invade Taiwan. For Pezzullo's must-do list, Google ‘The Strategist’. Nothing will be done, of course.

A grim, but correct analysis.

"should Australia think about joining the in the protection of Taiwan, and the fact that Australia, as an ally of the US, would be a strategic geographical asset for for the US in any conflict between the two powers."

Well Australia is no longer an ally of the US because the US no longer has or wants any allies.

Australia is therefore no longer able to help in the protection of Taiwan and must instead pull its weight by accepting a significant portion of the Taiwanese people as refugees.

If Taiwan manages an orderly retreat, then along with these refugees, some of Taiwan's military capabilities may also end up here and become important assets in defending Australia!

Yet the only way to defend Australia's shores is with non-conventional weapons, so I doubt that we can do much in just two years.

Nevertheless, we may be able to buy some more time while China first concentrates on conquering Taiwan and closer countries.

That time should be used not only to acquire non-conventional weapons but also to develop Australia's own oil production and refineries, because the first thing China will do to bring Australia down on its knees is to blockade oil supplies. We should of course forget about hypothetical Australian oil-reserves in America - consider them lost already.

Also, re-develop our own manufacturing infrastructure and skills.

And also, strengthen our ties with India as much as possible.
India has its own problems so is less than perfect, yet we have no other nuclear ally in the region.

hahahaha
With the orange nazi in the white house I hear the people of Taiwan are wondering if China is that bad after all.
If that fool can take Greenland,Gaza,Panama and Canada and poo tin can have Ukraine then why cant China take Taiwan. Hell we could do with a few tropical islands in the pacific ourselves. Why cant we annex say Fiji or the Solomons? For security purposes of course.

If Australia wants to stop China sending its navy on little visits maybe we should stop patrolling and wargaming off their coasts.

Gee-wiz,

November 2023, the Australian warship HMAS Toowoomba sailed through the Taiwan Strait in international waters, The waterway separates mainland China from it recognized territory of Taiwan. Other Australian navel vessels have previously transited the Taiwan Strait. The US navy sends ships through the strait about once a month in what it calls “routine” transits. China regularly objects to these maneuvers as being provocative.

How about we keep out of the Taiwan Strait and China keeps out of Bass Strait. Pezzullo is nothing more than a warmongering Liberal Party flunky.

Some Australians certainly appear to be out-dumbing the Americans !

The threat posed to Australia is too scary for some people to accept; by kidding themselves that there is no threat (even though China has never tried to hide the fact that it wants to replace the US in our region) they feel safer: they can stay in denial. Our political class is also in denial and totally unprepared for what could happen. China knows this, and is going to become more aggressive.