The international community will be watching what happens down under this federal election with great interest, given rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Historically, Australia’s primary foreign policy goal has been to build strong partnerships with allies such as the United States, Japan and India to ensure security and peace within the region.

Specifically, the nation's primary goal has been to defend the rules-based international order championed by Western powers since World War II.

This is a system that promotes stability and peace through means such as defending democracy and protecting the free trade of goods and services.

But in the past decade, one of the most significant moves in Australia’s foreign policy has been a trilateral security partnership between us, the US and the United Kingdom.

This agreement, known as AUKUS, was drawn up under the previous Coalition government, led by Scott Morrison, in 2021.

AUKUS agrees to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to the Australian Royal Navy, promising a considerable advantage for the Australian military.

Nuclear submarines contain nuclear reactors on board, providing a sustainable power source that allows the ship to stay underwater for greater periods of time without detection.

This is in contrast with conventional submarines, which have to resurface regularly for refuelling.

When AUKUS was announced, the Coalition called the opportunity historic for promoting security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The focus on promoting security has been interpreted as a veiled warning to those who threaten to undermine the peace and predictability that the US has upheld in the region.

The main threat that AUKUS seeks to counter is China, which under current President Xi Jinping has looked to expand its military influence, according to US think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

Defence spending has increased by about 80 per cent in the past decade and China has recently projected its military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, prompting Western powers to seek to counterbalance China through measures such as AUKUS.

The Albanese Government strengthened AUKUS in January this year, by investing an extra $262 million.

This will develop Australia’s nuclear submarine supply chains so Australia can develop its own submarine capabilities independently.

This is part of the defence spending prioritisation that has been visible under both Labor and the previous Coalition governments, with defence spending increasing by about 70 per cent in the past 10 years.

But given global tensions with China over the sovereignty of Taiwan and Hong Kong, Liberal leader Peter Dutton has promised that a Coalition government would increase defence spending even further.

Even though the major parties appear in lock-step over the AUKUS deal, neither has sold the plan effectively to the Australian people.

With the AUKUS agreement predicted to cost Australia up to $368 billion, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a 2023 Lowy Institute poll found 47 per cent of Australians believe it’s not worth the money.

Australians are more concerned by other socio-economic issues, such as housing security and the cost of living.

Meanwhile, the Greens say that Australia’s excessive defence spending and engagement with the trilateral AUKUS may reduce Canberra’s autonomy on the world stage.

The Greens have demanded Australia withdraw from the AUKUS agreement to save money and avoid having foreign policy dictated by the US.

To keep up to date with election results, MOJO News will broadcast live on Channel 31 from 6.30pm on May 3.