February 26, 2025
Large gaps in Australia’s tracking of Chinese warships have emerged, as Anthony Albanese continued to provide ambiguous answers over the amount of notice the flotilla gave for carrying out live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea, prompting Coalition accusations the prime minister was misleading the public.
Military commanders learnt the ships were conducting Friday’s drill only 40 minutes after the “firing window” started, while 90 minutes elapsed before New Zealand’s military passed on warnings to Canberra.
In a further blow to the government’s security credentials, Defence officials later admitted that the government was on track to fall short of its target to lift military spending to 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product by 2033-34.
Instead, it will reach 2.33 per cent.
Appearing before Senate estimates on Wednesday, Chief of the Australian Defence Force David Johnston said the three Chinese warships were about 250 kilometres south-west of Hobart, in Australia’s exclusive economic zone, and could be sailing westwards towards the Great Australian Bight.
The arrival of the ships, which entered Australian waters more than a fortnight ago and transited down the east coast, has highlighted that flashpoints remain between Canberra and Beijing.
Analysts have suggested China is sending a message to Australia about the reach of its military amid regional tensions, while the opposition has seized on their presence to accuse Albanese of “weakness” on national security.
Johnston revealed Defence was first told about Friday’s drill by Airservices Australia, the nation’s air traffic control provider, at 10.10am. Airservices Australia had only learnt of the drill at 9.58am via a Virgin Australia pilot who had heard a broadcast from the flotilla on an emergency radio frequency that the exercise was being conducted between 9.30am and 2pm.
Johnston said the New Zealand Defence Force – which had taken responsibility for monitoring the flotilla and had a frigate shadowing the warships – only contacted Australian counterparts at 11.01am about the drill.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson quizzed Johnston over why it took so long for word to come from the Kiwis. “Shouldn’t it be a lot quicker than that?”
Johnston said the information would have gone up through the New Zealand information chain before being passed on to Australian authorities.
The estimates hearing was told emergency radio frequencies used by commercial airlines and shipping that the Chinese warships used to broadcast were not monitored by Defence unless military vessels and aircraft were in range.
Johnston said it was possible a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine could be accompanying the task group.
While the nature of the Chinese mission remains unknown, Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarty suggested one aim was to gather intelligence.
“The Chinese are signalling, they are practising and rehearsing, and they are collecting,” Moriarty said.
While China acted in accordance with international law, Johnston said the lack of a warning in the form of a Notice to Airmen and Notice to Mariners 24 to 48 hours beforehand – as other militaries do – had been “disruptive” and irresponsible.
He said Australia did not conduct live-fire exercises on international flight paths or shipping lanes.
“I’m not aware of an occasion where civil air traffic with very short notice has had to divert as a consequence of our firing,” Johnston said.
Paterson accused Albanese of misleading the public by making statements that the Chinese had provided notification and suggesting it had been provided through military channels.
He cited Albanese’s comments on Friday that “notice was given”, and on Saturday that “notification did occur of this event”.
Albanese on Wednesday also claimed Defence was informed by Airservices Australia and the New Zealand military “at around the same time”, despite Johnston’s evidence it was nearly an hour apart.
“It’s not really notification of an upcoming exercise if we only find out about it after it has commenced, is it?” Paterson said.
“It’s remarkable that Australia was relying on civilian aircraft for early warning about military exercises by a formidable foreign task group in our region.
“He should be honest, admit we were never notified, and call out this malign behaviour instead of making excuses for the People’s Liberation Army-Navy.”
A senior government source, speaking on background, rejected the characterisation Albanese had misled the public, pointing out that the government had proactively revealed the presence of the Chinese warships a fortnight ago.
At a press conference, Albanese dead-batted questions over the fact that word of the exercises first reached the government because of the Virgin pilot rather than from New Zealand.
“We were co-operating. We’ve been monitoring the vessels in the area by both sea and by air. So, that occurred, and at the same time, through the channels that occur when something like this is occurring,” he said.