Independent Politicians Question Alliance Demands on Military Budget

Crossbench MPs challenge US defense spending request, citing sovereignty concerns and declining personnel numbers

Independent members of parliament have mounted strong opposition to American demands for increased Australian defense spending, questioning whether allies should dictate national budget priorities as the Albanese government faces pressure to boost military expenditure to 3.5% of GDP.

The crossbench criticism emerged following US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's call for higher defense spending during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, with independent MPs arguing Australia must maintain sovereignty over its strategic decisions while addressing fundamental military capability gaps.

Zali Steggall, the independent member for Warringah, delivered the sharpest rebuke of American pressure during a Sky News Australia interview, rejecting the notion that allies should determine Australia's defense priorities.

"We should not be having our allies dictating to Australia how we should be spending or setting our national defense budget and how and what we should spend it on," Steggall said.

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