In the 1987 defence white paper, a commitment was made to spend an average 2.8 per cent of GDP indefinitely to achieve that defence program. On the other hand, the best crystal ball could not offer confidence that future governments will honour these commitments. Indeed, experience strongly urges that they will not. Delaying critical decisions needed to develop defence capabilities may be good politics but it is poor strategy and poor economics. If the rather small and unsustainable East Timor commitment had resulted in a vigorous and violent Indonesian response, the cost to Australia would have been immense in political and economic terms, not to mention the human cost in casualties.
Defence still has a long way to go to catch up.