“Chinese land reclamation is really about creating new facts on the ground … and extending potential PLA military control southwards.”

“An analysis published by the RAAF’s Air Power Development Centre last November grimly concludes “weaponisation of the space domain is likely to take place”. ”

“This is about more than just eliminating obstacles at the border – it is about more fully integrating 12 national economies and the policies that regulate them.”

“Nearly every naval power in Asia is increasing its submarine force over the next two decades, suggesting our neighbours aren’t willing to bet on a benign Indo-Pacific in the future either.”

“For me, this was not a terrorist incident. There was no co-ordinated media plan, no clear message, no obvious outcome the gunman was seeking. ”

“Antarctic science is critical to our understanding of climate change … Yet in recent years Australia’s scientific program has contracted.”

“Not until three months later did the Australian public become aware that its military stood accused of committing a war crime.”

“The government has not yet made a detailed case for why the ADF needs to be fighting in the Middle East, nor what national interests our military is fighting to protect.”

“

Global Times concluded: 'For many Chinese people, Australia is a good place for business, travel and higher education. That’s about it.'

“The image of Australian bodies loaded into an industrial train in Eastern Europe forces us to confront questions about what kind of power we want to be.”

“As parties have had to chase an increasingly swinging vote, their policies have become more pragmatic.”

“Real estate is a part of the conversation growing up ... It’s a hunt, a game of musical chairs, but it feels like the music stopped some time back in the 1980s.”

Beyond Anzac Day’s commemoration, the government must grapple with an increasingly difficult defence picture.