Australian electorate above fears and smears

Any day now, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to call a general election. For weeks, the country has been in election mode and the momentum has just intensified following the Labor Party's landslide victory over Morrison's Liberal Party in the South Australian state election on Saturday.

Both Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese have been touring the country for weeks, seeking to attract votes with promises of generous handouts if either is elected. But there is more to this election than just throwing a few handouts to the electorate.

Morrison is fixated on security and building Australia's defense capability in what he sees as a growing, albeit without any foundation, dominant China, which ironically is Australia's biggest trading partner.

He is supported by his defense minister, Peter Dutton, and a cabal of right-wing commentators and politicians who stoke the ashes of fear in a world already gazing into the abyss.

During an interview on Feb 25, Dutton described the relationship between Russia and China as an "unholy alliance "and warned that Beijing may use the crisis in Ukraine as a "useful opportunity" to coerce other nations in the region.

On March 7, Morrison announced that a new submarine base will be built on the east coast of Australia to support the nation's new nuclear-powered submarines, though these submarines are yet to be ordered and not expected to be in service for decades.

This ignores the fact that Australia does not have enough sailors for even its aging Collins-class submarines, let alone new nuclear submarines. Neither does the country have the technical capability to build and operate nuclear submarines.

The announcement on a new submarine base came at a time of heightened global tensions, especially in Europe following the Ukraine conflict. But the announcement was made with just one country in mind－China.

Morrison said the decision to establish an east coast submarine base has been underway for many years and would enhance Australia's strategic deterrence capability in the Pacific Ocean.

"Australia faces a difficult and dangerous security environment, and we must continue to invest in growing the capability of our ADF(Australian Defence Force) to ensure we keep Australians safe," he said in a statement.

"Under our AUKUS (security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US) we will have access to the best technology in the world to support our efforts to deter threats against our national interest in the Indo-Pacific."

On March 10, the prime minister announced that Australia would increase its defense spending by around 30 percent by 2040, taking the total permanent ADF to almost 80,000 per-sonnel at a cost of A$38 billion ($28.4 billion).

On March 16, the Australian government announced a A$240 million plan to develop a rare earth minerals industry in the country, with senior ministers openly listing China as one reason for this initiative.

"China currently dominates around 70 to 80 percent of global critical minerals production and continues to consolidate its hold over these supply chains," Energy and Industry Minister Angus Taylor said in a statement.

"This initiative (to develop a rare earth minerals industry in Australia) is designed to address that dominance."

China's new ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said not long after arriving in Canberra earlier this year that his appointment was a "symbol" from the Chinese government that it wants to open communication channels with the federal government, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Feb 24.

"This relationship is very important, and this is good for both sides, and now we're in a difficult situation," Xiao said.

"But from the Chinese side, we're ready to work together with our Australian counterparts to move toward the same direction (with) joint efforts, so we can move this relationship back on the right track, back to the right direction."

For its part, Canberra has done nothing to indicate it is willing to accept the hand of friendship being offered by Beijing. Instead, it has chosen the path of belligerence rather than friendship.

However, it seems that Morrison's attempt to smear the Labor leader in the eyes of the Australian electorate－even before the announcement of the general election date－will not succeed.

Labor's victory in the state election in South Australia on March 19 shows the electorate is above fear and smears.

The author is a China Daily correspondent based in Sydney.