Shadow defence minister Brendan O’Connor says defence force should be trained for military purposes, not for disaster response
Labor will consider establishing a civilian natural disaster agency rather than use defence forces to respond to floods and bushfires.
, arguing that the community “are always the first” on scene because it is not possible to have “an ADF base around the corner in every town”. “And that’s at the same time … that we have increased instability in the region, where we require … more significant effort in terms of potential military investment.”If elected in May, the Albanese Labor government would look at the climate change threat assessment and make “a series of decisions” in the first four months, O’Connor said.
O’Connor said Australia may need a “national emergency taskforce”. Although ADF assistance is helpful, he said he was “not sure it’s sustainable in the way in which it’s currently operating”.
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