The Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee encourages Quakers and all interested parties to participate in the Australia National University’s national community consultation process to hear what security means to Australians – “…what matters most to you when you think about the nation’s future and whether these priorities do or don’t connect with security?”.
It’s clear that the community consultation process is aimed at hearing from everyday Australians, not experts.
In particular, the NSC is seeking views on:
- Australia’s national security challenges and opportunities
- Principles and goals that underpin Australia’s national security policy
- National security priorities for Australia in the next decade
- A future whole-of-nation approach to national security
The NSC Issues Paper reflects a wide definition of ‘national security’ to include: protecting Australia’s democratic institutions, advancing inter-generational well-being, building resilience against the impacts of climate change, and protecting Australia’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
Similarly, the Issues Paper identifies building blocks for Australia’s future security to include: defence capabilities, national preparedness and resilience, economic security, democratic resilience, social cohesion and inter-generational security. It also articulates several civil society roles in building and maintaining Australia’s national security (pp21-22). It also asks the question: among Australia’s ‘interests, values, identity: what do we want to protect?’ Each section of the Issues Paper concludes with ‘key questions’ to assist in the consultation process – for both written submissions and community conversations. Insights from these consultations will inform a publicly released report in 2026, to guide governments, parliaments and communities.