National security has been prominent in Australia’s 2022 Federal Election campaign. This document is part of a series that intends to provide a snapshot of some priorities and targets from the different political parties in the lead-up to the election.

International partnerships and alliances are central to Australia’s security. In the lead-up to the election, candidates and parties are championing a range of international partnerships – encompassing diplomacy, economics, defence and people-people ties – to protect Australia’s interests and values in a contested world. The two major parties prioritise an intensification of the alliance with the United States, supplemented by the Quad and AUKUS, but there are other points of distinction in their international partnerships.