Defence Minister David Johnston says claims of a $50 billion defence budget in are not credible. Source: AAP
AS much as he might like it to be true, Defence Minister David Johnston is sceptical about a seeing a $50 billion defence budget in a decade.
That follows a media report in The Australian newspaper pointing to a $50 billion defence budget in 10 years as funding is progressively raised to two per cent of gross domestic product.
At present, the defence budget is $26 billion, which is about 1.6 per cent of GDP.
Senator Johnston said he didn't know where the $50 billion figure came from as the Defence Capability Plan (DCP), which outlines planned spending on new equipment, was in disarray because so much money had been taken away.
"For anybody to put a figure on where we are going and a time frame of where that place will be ... is quite questionable and impossible," he told reporters.
"I think it is wrong because I can't see how those figures can carry any credibility."
Senator Johnston said the government was set to launch a new defence white paper and DCP in 2015, which would establish benchmarks for defence spending.
He said it would be extremely hard to lift defence spending to two per cent of GDP.
"But we are going to do it," he said.
Senator Johnston said 21,000 public servants ran 56,000 uniformed personnel and that was unsustainable.
"My portfolio is just one of very many that is carrying that sort of burden," he said. "We have got to get lean and mean. No one is saying two per cent of GDP for defence in 10 years is gong to be easy."
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