Australia to develop a Defence White Paper next year

The Australian government will develop a Defence White Paper to be published next year which will underpin a costed, affordable plan to achieve Australia's defence and national security objectives, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Friday.

According to a statement from him, the White Paper will align defence policy with military strategy and deliver an affordable Australian Defence Force structure.

"The government is committed to returning defence spending to two percent of Australia's Gross Domestic Product in the next decade as our budgetary position improves," Abbott confirmed.

And the Defence White Paper will also consider the merits of an enhanced Defence presence in northern Australia.

According to Abbott, it will draw on parallel work being done on the Northern Australia White Paper which the federal government is developing in partnership with Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

"The government is committed to building a strong, capable and sustainable Australian Defence Force that will ensure our security and support our strategic interests into the future," Abbott said.

In addition, this Defence White Paper will assist in developing a costed acquisition programme and a 10-year Defence Capability Plan and an updated Defence Industry Policy Statement, the statement said.

"It will be informed by the government's Commission of Audit and a first-principles review of the Department of Defence that will be undertaken during 2014," Abbott said.