An Australian who travelled around the country asking other Australians if they would fight to defend the nation received some surprisingly contradictory responses.
Surfer and journalist Fred Pawle took his camera and microphone to the places including the NSW Central Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, which have all been asking people on the street the question in recent weeks.
“My initial motivation was whether it would be possible to judge responses based on where you live, so you know which areas would be more or less likely to defend the country,” Pawle told Daily Mail Australia.
He said the responses were largely in line with his expectations, with those in Melbourne, perhaps tired of enduring the world’s longest Covid lockdown, less inclined to fight back than those in Sydney.
‘In Sydney, the percentage of those who said they would defend the country rose to around 80 per cent and in Melbourne it was around 60 per cent.
“I was pleasantly surprised by Byron Bay. If you lived in paradise, wouldn’t you defend it? I had to debate a bit to get them to say so, but most people said they would.”
Mr Pawle said he was not at all surprised that some would so openly admit they would not stand up for Australia given the increasing polarisation of society.
“The ‘greatest generation’ won the world wars 80 and 100 years ago thanks to their willpower, fortitude and unity; these qualities may seem to be much less evident than they were,” he observed.
Australians gave mixed responses when asked if they would defend the country, with one man questioning who they would fight for.
For some, the answer was easy: one man proclaimed Australia to be the “best country in the world, mate.”
In the videos, many of the men who responded said they would not hesitate to take up arms if the nation were attacked.
“Sure, I live here,” replied a man from Brisbane.
“One hundred percent,” another replied. “The best country in the world, my friend.”
Another young man from Byron Bay replied: “Of course, but only for defence.”
“If your friends left but you stayed, you wouldn’t feel very good about yourself.”
“I’d be on the front line,” responded a First Nations man in Melbourne.
But others said it would “depend on the context” or that they would choose not to fight, for various reasons.
A Byron Bay resident answered “no” when asked if he would stand up for Australia, but gave a resounding “absolutely” when asked if he would fight for the idyllic coastal town.
“Who are we really fighting for?” the man asked.
‘Are we fighting for ourselves or for someone else who is going to do what the other guy is doing anyway?’
Another Byron Bay resident said they “don’t believe in global politics or being part of that soap opera.”
“I’m against violence,” said a third.
A man with a British accent said he would “just move somewhere else” if Australia introduced conscription.
“I just value my life more than all those things.”
And one man said he did not think Australia was worth defending “in its current state”.
Mr Pawle said when he asked a further question about whether territory or values were a reason to fight, one person replied that they were no longer sure Australia was united in its values.
“This is very worrying,” Pawle said.
But he also said he found it “incredibly encouraging” that even though the country is divided, most people said they would defend this “wonderful place.”
‘Many said they would not go overseas to fight, but for most, the answer to whether they would defend Australia at home was an easy yes.’
One man said he considered global politics to be a “soap opera” and that he did not believe in it.
A Gold Coast man said he has already served in the military and would not hesitate to do so again if needed.
“It’s an important question, the drums of war are beating, but a lot of people looked at me like ‘why are you asking that?'”
‘NATO has this week called for stronger ties with Pacific nations. NATO aims to keep communism out of Europe. Why are they calling for stronger ties with Australia?’
‘Ukraine is resorting to kidnapping young people off the street to force them to fight and the Australian government is backing it.
‘Our Prime Minister called President Zelenskyy and congratulated him on the war effort and said Australia would support Ukraine for as long as needed.’
Starting Friday, 140 aircraft will fill the skies over the Northern Territory for three weeks as part of a biennial international air combat activity.
With 4,000 people from 20 countries taking part, the 2024 event will be the largest in its 43-year history.
Participants will be exposed to complex scenarios while operating advanced equipment and battle systems, which exercise director Peter Robinson said will help build stronger ties with like-minded nations.
“Training with our partner nations demonstrates our commitment to the shared value of maintaining peace and stability throughout the region,” Air Commodore Robinson said.
For the Philippines, Spain, Italy and Papua New Guinea, it will be the first time that their personnel and aircraft will participate.
They will be joined by aircraft from France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and the US, along with recruits from Canada, New Zealand, Fiji and Brunei.
The exercise will take place as China continues to flex its military muscles in the region against the backdrop of a NATO summit in Washington, where the Indo-Pacific remains a key focus.