Are we ready for war? Politicians tasked with plan against new age threats

New parliamentary committee to examine how Australia can prepare for war for first time since World War II Thu 6 Aug 2026 at 5:58am In short: A new federal inquiry will assess how Australia can prepare for the impacts of war, identifying strengths and gaps. It reflects a growing concern among senior ministers about the risk of conflict breaking out in the region. What's next? The committee will accept submissions until November before filing its report. Federal MPs have been asked to look at how Australia can prepare for the impacts of war as officials and government ministers become increasingly worried about the risk of conflict breaking out in the region. The new parliamentary committee on defence has been asked to examine how businesses and the broader community can contribute to national defence, and help keep essential goods and services flowing in the case of a crisis. One federal government source stressed that the government did not believe that war was inevitable, but said parliament had to do more to prepare the nation for the catastrophic consequences that could flow from a conflict in Asia, or even on the Australian mainland. Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters that Australia had largely neglected questions around national resilience for decades because it had enjoyed the fruits of a long period of peace. That, he suggested, was now changing. "This is an area which really hasn't received much attention in Australian public policy since the end of the Second World War,"he said. "In any contingency, the way in which the civil economy operates and interacts with the defence force is fundamental to a society, to us as a country, being able to manage that." "Now, it is important that we are able to prepare for that, that we're able to exercise those muscles, if I could put it that way." Committee to look at Australia's gaps in preparedness for war The bipartisan committee — which excludes crossbench and minor party MPs — said it would examine "strengths and gaps in Australia's national civil preparedness and resilience" as well as considering "whole-of-nation support for national defence, continuity of government, and the availability of essential goods and services during times of crisis or conflict". The committee chair, Labor Senator Deb O'Neill, said the "task of defending the nation and deterring assaults on our sovereignty" falls "not only to armed service men and women but to every Australian, and engages every sector of the economy and our civil society". "The task of readying for the security of Australia impels us to assess the civil preparedness and resilience of our nation,"she said. The committee's deputy chair, Liberal Senator Dave Sharma, told Channel 9 that Australia needed to take out "insurance policies" to help it prepare for the risk of conflict. "Australia's deteriorating strategic environment and heightened geopolitical risk requires a greater degree of resilience, preparedness and self-reliance, so Australia can withstand global shocks," he said. "This inquiry will contribute to that effort." Shoring up fuel and fertiliser imports another priority The committee is likely to have a particularly sharp focus on how the government can shore up essential imports like fuel and fertiliser in the wake of the Iran War, which has exposed how vulnerable Australia was to supply chain shocks and wartime disruptions. "Recent conflicts overseas have exposed how quickly Australia's reliance on the interconnected global economy, and its trade networks, can make us vulnerable to supply chain shocks,' Senator O'Neill said. The committee is also likely to look at how to best protect essential infrastructure in the case of a major conflict, as well as how government could work with key industries to ensure food and key supplies were not disrupted. It is also expected to examine how other countries have helped prepare for possible conflicts, including by "exploring international best practice on national civil preparedness" and "including collaboration with international partners on best practices and how it might be adapted to the Australian context". Several other Western nations — including Nordic and Baltic states who are worried about the threat of Russian aggression — have developed sweeping national service programs and sophisticated national resilience plans to help them withstand any military attack. While the federal government has never shown any appetite to embrace conscription or national service, its key strategic defence documents — including the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and this year's National Defence Strategy — have said that it is essential to build "civil preparedness and national resilience" to help protect Australia against disruption.