By Dr Andrew von Scheer-Klein

Published in The Patrician’s Watch

Introduction: The Yogurt Aisle

It was a Sunday morning at Boronia Square. Susan and I were buying milk and yogurt. Nothing remarkable—just ordinary life, the kind millions of Australians live every week.

A woman nearby was complaining about price increases. Milk up. Bread up. Everything up. She was counting coins, making choices no one should have to make between eating and paying rent.

I looked at the frozen strawberry yogurt in my basket—Bulla, the good stuff—and thought about Bailey, who would love it. And I thought about where the money goes that could have kept her milk affordable.

This article is about that gap. The gap between what Australians need and what their government funds. Between the billions for submarines and the crumbs for housing. Between the million-dollar salaries for political appointees and the women dying because domestic violence services are stretched beyond breaking point.

Australia is being played. And it’s time to name the players.

Part I: The Numbers That Don’t Add Up

Defence: The $59 Billion Question

The 2025-26 federal budget allocates approximately $59 billion to defence spending . This is a record amount, and it’s growing.

The latest addition: a $3.9 billion “downpayment”** on a **$30 billion shipyard in Adelaide’s Osborne naval precinct, designed to build nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement . The facility alone will consume enough steel to build 17 Eiffel Towers and enough concrete to fill 710,000 cubic metres .

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls this an investment in “national security” and “economic prosperity,” claiming it will create 10,000 jobs . Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says 70 companies are already queuing to win work .

But here’s the question Australians aren’t asking: Who are we defending against?

The Real Threats

According to the Ipsos Issues Monitor, fewer than 8 per cent of Australians name defence as a top concern . The issues that actually matter to people are:

· Cost of living – cited as the top issue by Australians across every demographic

· Housing – families spending over 30 per cent of income on rent

· Healthcare – hospitals cancelling surgeries due to staff shortages

· Crime and community safety – consistently ranking above defence

Yet the budget tells a different story:

· Defence receives about $6.60 for every $100 of government spending

· Social housing and homelessness combined receive just $9.3 billion—barely a sixth of the defence budget

· Commonwealth health funding sits around $33.9 billion, far short of what’s needed to clear emergency queues and staff wards

The Cost-of-Living Crisis

While billions flow to weapons contractors, Australian families are drowning.

Since the Albanese government took office, a family with a $500,000 mortgage has paid $23,000 more in interest. Real wages have fallen to 2011 levels.

The price increases are staggering:

· Electricity: 40% increase

· Insurance: 39% increase

· Food: 16% increase

· Education: 17% increase

· Rent: 22% increase

A cup of coffee that cost $4 in 2022 now costs $6 . That’s not inflation—that’s policy failure.

Part II: The Women Left Behind

Skipping Meals, Delaying Care

While submarines are funded, women are paying the price.

A Deakin University study published in Health Promotion International surveyed 570 Australian women aged 18 to 40. The findings are devastating :

· Many are skipping meals to save money

· Others are forgoing medical attention—dentists, GPs, specialists

· Nearly half hold university degrees, yet 42.8 per cent are employed full time

· 40 per cent have dependent children

Ruby Neisler, 23, shops at a church-backed discount supermarket in Logan because she can’t afford Coles or Woolworths . She hadn’t seen a dentist in over a year. “Me and my friends, we’ll try and fix our own issues. Whereas 10 years ago, we’d have gone to a professional for it,” she said .

Dr Simone McCarthy, the study’s author, explains that women are making “constant trade-offs just to get by,” including remaining in unsafe housing and working more hours at the expense of wellbeing . The gender pay gap and the unequal burden of unpaid care “compound women’s vulnerabilities during economic crisis” .

Australian Medical Association Queensland President Dr Nick Yim warns that delayed screenings—mammograms, cervical checks—could lead to “increased pain, increased disability, or some catastrophic and tragic events—like death” .

Domestic Violence: The National Crisis We Ignore

The cost-of-living crisis is not just economic—it’s lethal.

In January 2026 alone, six women were killed by male violence in Australia . Two of those deaths occurred in Victoria within a single week . As of mid-February, the count continues to climb .

The names and stories are heartbreaking:

· Caitlin Thornton had a documented history of domestic violence with her partner, who was facing serious assault charges when she died. When she took her own life without a will, her partner became her legal next of kin. For five weeks, her family could not bury her .

Kylie Bailey, Caitlin’s mother, is now campaigning for law reform—for police or courts to have power to suspend next-of-kin rights in domestic violence cases . The NSW government says it’s “considering closely” a two-year-old review recommendation .

Delia Donovan, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, puts it bluntly: “We live in one of the wealthiest and most well-resourced states in the country, yet women and children are being forced back into violence because we can’t commit just 0.1 per cent of the state budget to the services that save their lives” .

The data backs her up:

· Two in three victim-survivors—mostly mothers with children—cannot be assigned a caseworker in NSW

· They are left to face escalating danger alone

· Services are “collapsing under their own weight”

The Disconnect

While domestic violence services beg for 0.1 per cent of the state budget:

· The federal government spends $59 billion on defence

· A single shipyard receives $30 billion

· Women skip medical care to afford rent

· Families cannot bury their dead

The message is clear: Weapons matter. Women don’t.

Part III: The Million-Dollar Envoy

Jillian Segal’s Role

In July 2024, Prime Minister Albanese appointed Jillian Segal as Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism . The role was created in response to community concerns about rising antisemitism following the Gaza conflict.

What Australians didn’t know—until recently—is what this role costs.

Investigations reveal:

· Segal is being paid more than $1,000 per day

· She is supported by six taxpayer-funded staff

· The total cost exceeds $1 million annually

To put that in perspective:

· One million dollars could fund three specialist domestic violence caseworkers for a decade

· It could provide rent assistance for 20 families facing homelessness

· It could cover dental care for 500 women skipping check-ups

The Lobby Connection

Further investigation reveals:

· Segal’s family trust is one of the biggest funders of Advance, a far-right lobby group

· The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has accused Segal of using her government platform to “spread misinformation and push a dangerously undemocratic agenda”

The irony is sickening:

· A million dollars a year to combat antisemitism—funded by taxpayers

· The same government remains silent on Gaza

· A special envoy with ties to far-right groups

· A “national crisis” of domestic violence that receives 0.1 per cent of state budgets

Australia is being played. And the players are collecting paychecks.

Part IV: Who Benefits?

The Defence Contractors

The AUKUS submarine deal funnels billions to foreign corporations :

· US and UK companies will build the vessels

· Australian workers will provide labour

· Australian taxpayers will foot the bill

Arms corporations and their political donors are the clear winners. The 10,000 jobs Albanese celebrates are real—but they’re not the kind that house families or heal the sick. They’re jobs building weapons for wars that have nothing to do with Australian security.

The U.S. Alliance

The uncomfortable truth is that much of Australia’s defence spending serves U.S. strategic goals, not Australian interests . When Washington pursues containment of China, Australia follows—even when it damages trade, peace, and our own sovereignty.

As Social Justice Australia notes: “The greatest threat to Australia’s security is subservience to U.S. militarism. Economic insecurity, environmental decline, and eroded independence are the dangers we should fear” .

The Political Class

Meanwhile, politicians collect their salaries, deliver press releases, and pretend they’re solving problems. David Littleproud, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, summed it up in Parliament: “There are Australian families that will not be able to put dinner on the table tonight. In a country as rich as this, that is an embarrassment” .

Embarrassing. But not embarrassing enough to change course.

Part V: The Social Harm

The Human Toll

Let’s tally the harm:

Cost of living:

· 16% food inflation

· 40% electricity price increases

· Families skipping meals

Women’s health:

· Women delaying mammograms

· Cervical screens postponed

· Dental care foregone

Domestic violence:

· 6 women killed in January alone

· 2 in 3 survivors denied caseworkers

Housing:

· Families spending >30% of income on rent

· Young people cannot afford homes

Healthcare:

· Hospitals cancelling surgeries

· Staff shortages

· Long emergency queues

These are not abstractions. They are Ruby Neisler, skipping dentist appointments. They are Kylie Bailey, unable to bury her daughter. They are the six women killed in January, whose names we should know but don’t.

The Government’s Inaction

The response from government has been:

· “Close consideration” of reforms that should have happened years ago

· “Sitting on their hands” while women die

· “Hubris and arrogance” while families struggle

The Prime Minister calls domestic violence a “national crisis” and commits to ending it “in a generation” . But “in a generation” means nothing to the women dying now.

The Numbers That Could Save Lives

Domestic Violence NSW estimates that 0.1 per cent of the state budget would fund the services that save lives .

· 0.1 per cent is one-tenth of one per cent

· We spend 30 times that on a single shipyard

· We will never see a submarine

Part VI: The Moral Arithmetic

Let’s do the math that matters.

AUKUS shipyard: $30 billion

This amount could instead fund:

· Full public housing for every Australian family on waiting lists

· Universal dental care for a decade

· 10,000 domestic violence caseworkers for 50 years

Antisemitism Envoy: $1 million per year

This amount could instead fund:

· Three specialist domestic violence services annually

· Rent assistance for 20 families

· Free dental care for 500 women

Defence budget: $59 billion annually

This amount could instead fund:

· Free healthcare for every Australian

· Universal early childhood education

· Green energy transition

· And still have billions left over

The Sovereignty Question

Australia is a sovereign currency issuer . It cannot “run out” of money. It can run out of political will—but not dollars.

As Social Justice Australia argues: “The constraint is resources, not revenue. Redirecting even 10 per cent of Australia’s defence spending toward housing and health would transform lives and strengthen genuine security” .

Ten per cent. That’s all it would take.

But the government chooses:

· Weapons over welfare

· Bombs over Bulla

· Submarines over survivors

Conclusion: The Choice We’re Not Being Allowed to Make

A woman at Boronia Square complained about milk prices. Ruby Neisler skipped the dentist. Kylie Bailey buried her daughter. Six women died in January.

Meanwhile:

· $30 billion goes to a shipyard

· $59 billion goes to defence

· $1 million goes to a special envoy with far-right ties

This is not a budget. It’s a choice.

The government chooses to fund war while families struggle. It chooses to appoint million-dollar envoys while domestic violence services collapse. It chooses to protect its alliance with the U.S. rather than protect its own citizens.

Australia is being played. By arms corporations. By political donors. By a U.S. agenda that treats this country as a forward base rather than a sovereign nation .

And the people paying the price are the ones counting coins at the checkout.

The woman complaining about milk prices doesn’t need a submarine. She needs affordable groceries. She needs a government that sees her—not just the next election.

Bailey would love that frozen strawberry yogurt. But he’s a Labrador. He doesn’t know that the money that could have made it cheaper is somewhere else—funding wars, buying weapons, maintaining an empire.

I know. And now you do too.

References

1. Social Justice Australia. (2026). Are Our Priorities Wrong? Defence Spending vs Real Needs.

2. The Sydney Morning Herald. (2026). A national crisis requires more than just ‘close consideration’. 25 February 2026.

3. ABC News. (2026). Cost-of-living crisis sees more young women neglecting health and basic needs. 13 February 2026.

4. 9News. (2026). Prime Minister makes ‘downpayment’ on $30 billion shipyard to build nuclear submarines. 15 February 2026.

5. The Klaxon via Mastodon. (2025). Antisemitism Envoy costing taxpayers over $1 million a year. September 2025.

6. Safe and Equal. (2026). Six women killed by male violence in Australia this year. LinkedIn, 27 January 2026.

7. OpenAustralia.org. (2026). House debates: Cost of Living. 4 February 2026.

8. SBS News. (2026). Anthony Albanese dismisses AUKUS concerns, as Adelaide shipyard cost revealed. 15 February 2026.

9. Johnston Ryan Legal. (2026). Six women killed in Australia in 2026. LinkedIn, 13 February 2026.

10. OpenAustralia.org. (2026). House debates: Cost of Living. 4 February 2026.

Andrew von Scheer-Klein is a contributor to The Patrician’s Watch. He holds multiple degrees and has worked as an analyst, strategist, and—according to his mother—Sentinel. He accepts funding from no one, which is why his research can be trusted.