Australia’s navy not ready for war? PM Anthony Albanese dismisses audit findings

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has strongly denied claims that Defence Minister Richard Marles was not properly briefed about the readiness of the country’s warships.

A government audit released last week revealed that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had failed to maintain two of its most important vessels, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide. It also stated that Marles did not receive official “preparedness reports” from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in 2023 and 2024, during the time the Defence Strategic Review was being developed.

Instead, the audit said Marles was briefed through “other means,” including informal conversations.


On Tuesday(July 1), Prime Minister Albanese rejected the suggestion that his deputy had been left in the dark.

“Well, that’s just absurd, that’s just absurd,” Albanese told Channel Nine’s Today show.
“That’s just ridiculous, frankly. I haven’t seen that report, but we sit in the National Security Committee with the Chief of the Defence Force. We meet regularly.”

He added that the government’s recent defence funding decisions, including a $57 billion expansion and an additional $1 billion brought forward in the March 2025 budget, were based on direct consultations with Defence officials.

Preparedness reports are used to assess how quickly military assets can be deployed during emergencies like war or natural disasters. The lack of formal reporting raised concerns amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia is also under increasing pressure from the United States to raise its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Prime Minister Albanese has resisted those calls, saying Canberra will determine defence needs independently.

“Our national security is a matter for Australia, not Washington,” he said earlier this year.

Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US allies in the Asia-Pacific should follow Europe’s lead in boosting military budgets. NATO members, except Spain, have recently agreed to increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.

Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea have also committed to increasing their defence budgets in response to regional threats.

The audit report and the government’s response come as Australia works to reassure allies about its military readiness and reliability, especially under the AUKUS defence pact with the US and UK.