Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [ASIO], Australian Secret Intelligence
Service [ASIS]). This is in line with the trend towards ‘securitisation’ of
foreign policy, indicated throughout this chapter. The objectives of foreign and
defence policy are also periodically outlined in government commissioned white
papers, which are indispensable for a full understanding of current affairs.
The government of the day is supported by DFAT and the DoD, permanent
bureaucratic organs that are designed to advise and implement foreign and defence
policy respectively. Other actors, such as the Department for Homeland Affairs
(DHA), which was established in 2017, also play a significant role in selected issues.
DFAT is charged with the implementation of foreign policy, foreign relations,
foreign aid, consular services, trade and investment. Yet, in the last two decades
DFAT has been subject to significant budget cuts, organisational restructuring,
loss of oversight to a range of other agencies, and a revolving door of foreign
ministers (and prime ministers) at its helm, despite its apparently pivotal role in
the foreign policy process. Though the department saw a measure of revitalisation
under Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and head of its policy planning unit, Peter
Vargese, it is still affected by resource shortages, poor morale, and lack of strategic
focus. 6 The DoD, on the other hand, forms part of the Australian Defence
Organisation (ADO), along with the ADF. Its remit is more narrowly focused
upon defending Australia and its citizens and engaging in overseas coalition and
peace-keeping activities. DoD has also suffered from attacks upon its ‘bloated
bureaucracy’ that has emphasised ‘front-end’ material capabilities but has remained
relatively unscathed from the cuts that DFAT has experienced due to its unique
bureaucratic culture and enormous size. 7
Generally speaking, foreign policy issues do not attract great attention among the
Australian public (with some exceptions, such as asylum seekers), and civil society
groups have traditionally struggled to influence the foreign policy establishment
just described. An exception are think tanks such as the Australian Strategic Policy
Institute (ASPI) and the Lowy Institute, which command some influence. However,
in the age of social media and activism, foreign policy increasingly needs to take into
account civil society preferences on one side and the ramifications of external polices
on the domestic landscape on the other (a process known as ‘intermestic politics’).
Labor versus Coalition leadership and foreign policy traditions
The Coalition’s and Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) foreign and defence policy
traditions are frequently thought to conform with the international relations
paradigms of realism and liberalism respectively. 8 The Coalition is commonly
associated with international relations realism, which assumes that the competitive
6 Australian Public Service Commission 2013.
7 Claxton 2014.
8 Frydenberg, Parke and Langmore 2014.
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