PM confirms ACT’s Defence spend target still on the table

“A two-percent-of-GDP Defence target is turning into an emerging ACT triumph,” says ACT Defence spokesperson Mark Cameron.

“I’m very pleased to hear the Prime Minister flag a target for Defence investment of two percent of GDP. ACT has long argued for this target, in line with the NATO benchmark, to secure our position in a changing world.

“Protecting our citizens is the first and most important role of government. In previous alternative Budgets, ACT has outlined how we can shift spending away from the nice-to-haves and into Defence.

“If we want to be taken seriously by our friends as an ally worth defending, we need to show we’re doing our part. That could mean sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, but it shouldn’t just be a token contribution. We need to equip our personnel with the expertise, technology, and interoperability to make a genuine contribution alongside the big players. That means more investment, and ACT has campaigned on this reality for two election cycles.”

Last month, Mark Cameron and ACT MP Laura McClure published an op-ed making the case for a two-percent-of-GDP Defence target.