Defence ties needless, Aust, expert says

Press, 1 May 1984, Page 28

Defence ties needless, Aust, expert says

NZPA-AAP Canberra Australia does not need a “powerful friend” for protection such as that given by the A.N.Z.U.S. defence alliance, says a defence fellow at the Australian National University’s strategic and defence studies centre, Mr Andrew Mack. Mr Mack, a senior lecturer in international politics, has just taken up a five-year appointment at the centre. In the latest edition of the “A.N.U. Reporter” he said Australia was not defenceless, did not need a great and powerful friend for protection, and could not rely on the United States to come to its aid. “Most Australians believe that Australia is threatened, defenceless, and therefore needs a great and powerful friend. “This is simply not the case."

Mr Mack said he was writing a book which would say that assertions about the Soviet threat had been grossly exaggerated. The assertion that the Soviet Union was ahead in the strategic arms race, as suggested in the Strategic Basis papers recently leaked to the news media, “was quite simply wrong,” he said. “In the United States such claims are made to rationalise the Reagan Administration’s massive strategic modernisation programme. “There is no reason for Australia to echo them,” Mr Mack said. Australia’s potential enemies lacked the capability to seriously threaten, he said. “If they sought to attain.

such a capability we would have sufficient time to build our currently inadequate defences to meet the threat thus posed.” Mr Mack said that perceived threats from Australia’s north were based on false assumptions. “People often claim that Indonesia’s Government, confronting a large and growing population, might covet Australian territory to gain access to living space. “There is little evidence for such a claim. The Indonesian Government is having enormous problems trying to persuade people to move away from the overpopulated parts of Indonesia to the under-populated areas.” Mr Mack said there was plenty of space in Indonesia without its taking on the risks and costs which would be involved in attempting to invade Australia. On the question of whether Australia might consider developing nuclear arms if it appeared that an Asian neighbour was doing so, Mr Mack said there was no doubt Australia would reassess its options if such a development took place. “There is no enthusiasm at all for nuclear weapons in either the Government or the Department of Defence. “There is a big difference between countries pursuing nuclear energy programmes and those seeking the capability to produce nuclear weapons which can actually be targeted on Australia,” Mr Mack said.