March 2, 2025
Australia will spend $3 billion to acquire dozens of extra joint strike fighter jets, if the federal opposition wins the looming election.
The government scrapped plans to buy an additional 28 fighter jets last year, as part of re-prioritisation of defence spending.
That saved the government around $2 billion, which Labor has since committed to other defence priorities.
Coalition frontbencher James Paterson said his party would reverse that and increase Australia's fleet of F-35s to 100.
He said the commitment was part of a pledge to boost Australia's spending on defence.
"In one of its many cuts to our defence capability, this government cancelled the fourth squadron, cancelled 28 joint strike fight fighters that we otherwise would have received," Senator Paterson told the ABC's Insiders.
"We think that is a mistake and this is a down payment on our commitment for increased and faster defence spending."
Australia has purchased 72 joint strike fighters to date.
Labor insists by delaying the retirement of super hornet jets, purchasing extra F-35s was no longer essential.
The Coalition has costed its commitment at $3 billion but refused to say how it would pay for it.
Senator Paterson said the Coalition would reveal its costings closer to the election.
"We'll be outlining all of our expenses in the campaign as normal, all of our costings at the normal time in the normal way," he said.
"It was revealed in Senate estimates this week that Labor has already walked away from their commitment only a year ago to spend 2.4 per cent of GDP (on defence) by the end of the decade.
"Now it looks like it will be 2.33 per cent instead of 2.4 per cent and this is not a time to walk away from a commitment like that."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers told Sky News that he had seen headlines but not the details of the Coalition's joint strike fighter announcement.
But he questioned how the Coalition could afford an extra $3 billion, insisting the opposition's "secret costs" would come with "secret cuts".
"We've got a big squadron of F-35s and they are important, they are a very important piece of kit," he said.
"But we don't know where [Opposition Leader Peter Dutton] will find this $3 billion from and he should tell us about that.
"More broadly, you can't find extra billions for planes, or for longer lunches for bosses or for nuclear reactors without coming for Medicare."
