Burton says Australia ill advised on NZ defence spending

Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill has been poorly advised on New Zealand's military spending, Defence Minister Mark Burton says.

Mr Hill expressed concern on Tuesday at the level of New Zealand spending, saying it was no secret that Australia would like it increased.

Mr Burton said New Zealand's spending decisions were based on an assessment of its priorities.

Mr Hill, who took the portfolio after the Howard Government kept power at the November general election, said transtasman defence cooperation would continue.

"We tend to work collaboratively and cooperatively in a lot of operations, and we will continue to do so with whatever capacity they have," he said.

"But I don't think it's any secret that we would prefer them to be spending more, and we're concerned about their decision in relation to aircraft."

Last year, the New Zealand Government announced the disbanding of the RNZAF's combat arm.

Last week, in outlining a $500 million naval spending programme, it ruled out a third frigate to replace the ageing Canterbury, limiting the service to two Anzac frigates, a multi-role ship and patrol vessels.

Mr Hill said Australia could not tell New Zealand how to shape its defence force.

He believed New Zealand could still fulfil an important role in regional security, but with "arguably less capacity in the long term than what might have been their intentions a few years ago".

Mr Hill added that New Zealand's defence decisions might have been influenced by Australia increasing its own spending by $A23.5 billion ($28.86 billion) over the next decade. Its 2001-2002 budget rose to $A12 billion.

Mr Burton said yesterday that he thought his Australian counterpart had been "let down by his officials, in terms of not being properly briefed on what the actual announcements are".

"This package will better equip New Zealand to fulfil its own security and defence requirements and indeed play a more effective role, with tools suited to the purpose, in our region alongside Australia."

He had told Mr Hill about the announcements at the time, and had briefed the Australian high commissioner. "The official response we received was that Australia regarded this as a good balance, a thorough review, [and] that we arrived at a package that was clearly going to assist New Zealand in meeting its requirements and in the proven role we have in working cooperatively with Australia," Mr Burton said.

New Zealand's chief of the naval staff was in Australia briefing its Navy about the plans.

- NZPA

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