With Ukraine’s crucialspring counter-offensive already under way,the shadow ministers called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to announce a new package of assistance urgently rather than hold it to “ransom until he has a media opportunity at the upcoming NATO summit”in Lithuania next month.
“Despite the early action of the former Coalition government,and our continued bipartisan support for actions of this government,Australia’s commitments have failed to keep pace with our partners,” Birmingham and Hastie wrote in a letter to Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday.
“Other non-NATO contributors now increasingly overshadow Australia’s support.”
The comments mark a breakdown in the bipartisan approach to Ukraine that typified the first year of the conflict – a period during which Labor and the Coalition worked together to present a united front against Vladimir Putin’s invasion and declined to criticise each other.
Birmingham and Hastie said they “share the growing concerns of many in the Australian-Ukrainian community and,it would seem,the government of Ukraine that Australia is no longer pulling our weight commensurate with the efforts of our partners”.
“The dwindling and ad-hoc nature of Australian military support announced by the Albanese government has seen an embarrassing situation emerge where the Ukrainian government has resorted to launching public campaigns for more Australian military equipment,” the shadow ministers wrote in the letter.