MEDIA RELEASE 9 October 2025
While Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, too many people lack security of housing, health and education. First Nations people face greater insecurity with only 4 of the 19 goals in the Closing the Gap strategy currently on target to be achieved. Such insecurity leads to tension within the community and can undermine social cohesion and wellbeing within the broader society.
“For human security, humans come first and then security later,’ says political scientist Dr Donna Weeks, one of six authors in a new book: “Stayin’ Alive: Human security in an age of uncertainty”, published this week by the Australia Peace and Security Forum.
“Militarisation and infinite defence budgets have failed to make the world a safer ‘softer’ place,” said Dr Weeks.
The report is the third in a series of quarterly reports. The previous reports looked at Regional and Defence Security (Give Peace a Chance), and Environment and Climate Security (The Heat is On).
Writer and author Dr Julie Macken suggests that deep seated fears prevent us Australians from acting on critical human security issues such as humanely dealing with asylum seekers. “Peace and democracy demand a relationship with reality that the relaxed and comfortable Australia has forgone” she writes.
Dr Ben Spies-Butcher, Deputy Director of the Macquarie School of Social Sciences makes the case that housing is the “most vital and ever-present form of security (or insecurity)”. Yet housing is a human right and treating it as one could be helpful in addressing the current housing crisis, he says. Our human security relies on access to energy and the move to ‘renewable energy will remove a significant supply vulnerability as well as reduce a major contributor to climate change, Australia’s biggest security challenge in the years ahead’ says social justice facilitator, Dr Michael Walker.
We need peace for health and health for peace, according to Dr Sue Wareham, President of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War. “Wars affect not only health on a large scale, but practically everything that’s needed for a secure and sustainable present and future for all people” writes Dr Wareham. She points to how the ever-increasing expenditure on arms diverts resources form health care, noting “As just one example of Australia’s contribution to disproportionately high military spending, the extremely controversial AUKUS nuclear submarine program alone will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, while very modest aid and health programs flounder for lack of funds.”
The report comes out on the 25th anniversary of the adoption by the UN of the Agenda on Women Peace and Security. Associate Professor Ludmila Kwitko asks “Why do 600 million women, or 15 % of women in the world live within 50 kilometres of armed conflict, more than double the levels in the 1990s?’ She makes the case for meaningful participation by women in peace processes—from negotiation and mediation to peacekeeping and reconstruction, because it leads to more sustainable and inclusive peace outcomes.
In the final chapter, Japan specialist Dr Donna Weeks laments that “we have cultivated an environment where ‘security’ is now a default for ‘defence’.” She notes that “proponents of the promise and ‘logic’ of human security and those who would argue that ‘military security’ is the natural order, are at loggerheads.” She asks “What then might our alternatives be? What might a comprehensive human-being focussed security look like?” And goes on to suggest the Australia-Japan relationship could hold seeds for a new approach.
- Stayin Alive will be formally launched at a Webinar with four authors on Tuesday 14 October at 6-7pm. The title for the webinar is “Why is human security not a priority in Australia’s national security policies?”
The APSF is a not-for-profit Think Tank bringing together a broad network of informed researchers, professionals and practitioners working to strengthen peace and security for all Australians by providing information, analysis and opportunities for dialogue with Government and civil society.
For more information about APSF, visit our website: austpeaceandsecurityforum.org.au
For comment contact:
Dr Donna Weeks 0437 922602
Dr Michael Walker 0439 584 221
Dr Julie Macken 0400 925 217
Dr Ben Spies-Butcher 0414744 758