Why is the ADA needed (as a public-interest guardian organisation)?
National defence is one of the three key roles of government traditionally (along with ensuring a sound currency and public law and order). It is commonly described as the first responsibility of government and is a matter requiring long-term planning and sustained national investment. Yet in Australias democratic pluralist society, defence and wider national security matters are too often ignored or subsumed by shorter-term and often much less important issues that many of our politicians believe to be of more immediate economic and social concern to voters no matter how transitory the voter interest or how politically expedient, at the cost of good governance, these other issues might be in contrast to the long-term importance of national defence matters. Few Australians change their vote on a defence issue alone. The usually minimal short-term electoral benefits mean political attention tends to chase votes elsewhere rather than appropriately focus on our national defence as a long-
National defence is one of the three key roles of government traditionally (along with ensuring a sound currency and public law and order). It is commonly described as the first responsibility of government and is a matter requiring long-term planning and sustained national investment. In Australias democratic pluralist society, however, defence and wider national security matters are too often ignored or subsumed by shorter-term and often much less important issues that many of our politicians believe to be of more immediate economic and social concern to voters no matter how transitory the voter interest or how politically expedient, at the cost of good governance, these other issues might be in contrast to the long-term importance of national defence matters. Few Australians change their vote on a defence issue alone. Rather than appropriately focus on our national defence as a long-term national governance responsibility, the usually minimal short-term electoral benefits of taking
