Author: Robert Ayson
Seemingly innocuous phrases in government announcements can carry more meaning than we may initially think. A case in point comes from the joint statement issued after John Key’s recent meeting in Sydney with Malcolm Turnbull. It appears in the section on Trans Tasman Security and Defence Cooperation, which begins by observing that: ‘Australia and New Zealand have a shared interest in promoting a stable, rules-based global order, and in working together to respond to regional and international security challenges.’
Nothing surprising, controversial or even noteworthy about that, you might say. But readers of the lengthy Australian Defence White Paper released just a few days ago might recognize the importance of one particular portion. Protecting the global rules based order is one of the signature tunes of the Turnbull era for Australian strategy. ‘A stable Indo-Pacific region and a rules-based global order’ is one of just three ‘defence strategic interests’ identified in the document’s central framework. Upon this interest much appears to hinge, including the corresponding strategic defence objective (again one of only three) to: ‘Contribute military capabilities to coalition operations that support Australia’s interests in a rules-based global order.’
Seemingly innocuous phrases in government announcements can carry more meaning than we may initially think. A case in point comes from the joint statement issued after John Key’s recent meeting in Sydney with Malcolm Turnbull. It appears in the section on Trans Tasman Security and Defence Cooperation, which begins by observing that: ‘Australia and New Zealand have a shared interest in promoting a stable, rules-based global order, and in working together to respond to regional and international security challenges.’
Nothing surprising, controversial or even noteworthy about that, you might say. But readers of the lengthy Australian Defence White Paper released just a few days ago might recognize the importance of one particular portion. Protecting the global rules based order is one of the signature tunes of the Turnbull era for Australian strategy. ‘A stable Indo-Pacific region and a rules-based global order’ is one of just three ‘defence strategic interests’ identified in the document’s central framework. Upon this interest much appears to hinge, including the corresponding strategic defence objective (again one of only three) to: ‘Contribute military capabilities to coalition operations that support Australia’s interests in a rules-based global order.’
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