Taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions on foreign conflicts, with an additional $120 million plan to resettle migrants and refugees on Australian soil.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced in his budget Tuesday evening that more than $230 million has been pledged to support “peacekeeping activities” in foreign conflicts over the next three years.
More than half of that – $144 million – will go to Ukraine, including $100 million for drones, generators, inflatable boats and other military equipment and $43.5 million for short-range air defense systems.
Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February 2022 and has been embroiled in an intractable war ever since.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced in his budget on Tuesday evening that more than $230 million has been pledged to support ‘peacekeeping activities’ in foreign conflicts over the next three years – more than half of which will go to Ukraine (photo: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022)
In February, Anthony Albanese said that “Australia remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion.”
“We stand with Ukraine in support of its courageous people and also in defense of a fundamental principle: the right of every sovereign nation to be secure within its own borders and to determine its own future,” the prime minister added.
Meanwhile, a total of $13.2 million will go to the Hamas-Israel conflict, including $12.2 million for Operation BEECH to deploy Australian Defense Force soldiers to support Australian citizens and foreign nationals in the region.
About $1 million will be spent on 140 air delivery parachutes to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
Closer to home, the government will spend $120.9 million over the coming period to improve the settlement of migrants and refugees in Australia.
The lion’s share of this money goes to the Humanitarian Settlement Program, which helps people whose lives have been torn apart by war to resettle and integrate in Australia.
The government will also provide nearly $3 million over two years to support individuals and their families from “highly affected areas of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories” (photo: A Palestinian boy watches as people search through the rubble of a collapsed building that was destroyed in no time). Israeli airstrike on May 14)
Support will also be given to youth care and English conversation lessons.
The government will also provide nearly $3 million over two years to support individuals and their families from “significantly affected areas of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.”
It includes $2 million to the Australian Red Cross to provide emergency financial assistance to migrants.
Another $900,000 will go toward extending Medicare status until June next year for bridging visa holders coming from affected regions in Israel and Palestine.
The government has also extended its duty exemption for Ukrainian goods until July 2026.
This was introduced in response to Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022. Government economists estimate it will cost around $2 million in lost taxes over the next five years.
Dr. Chalmers said on Tuesday evening that the government will spend $50.3 billion over the next decade as part of the National Defense Strategy.