The federal government has brushed aside a call from former defence leaders who are urging it to release a secret report into the national security risks posed by climate change.
Last year, the government asked the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) to examine the external risks posed by climate change as the region grapples with increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events.
Senior ministers have also made several blunt public warnings about the impact climate change could have on broader regional security, and the threat that poses to Australia.
Last December, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told the National Press Club that increasingly extreme weather was "creating massive movements of people that may become unmanageable" and would also create "food and energy shortages" in the region, which Australia would have to help tackle.
Climate report handed back last year
Former Australian defence force chief Chris Barrie – speaking on behalf of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group — said ONI handed over the "external" climate report to government last year.
He said the government should immediately release a declassified version of the report to help the public grapple with looming risks.
"With the federal government now leading a national debate on the nation's defence priorities and their response to potential threats within our region, the Australian public deserve to know the full range of security threats our nation faces — particularly those posed by worsening climate change," Admiral Barrie said.
"The practice of Australia's allies has been to release such assessments. With other security threats, Australian governments have been transparent, making a point of sharing with the community their knowledge to gain support for action; for example cyber security, COVID, North Korea and more.
"But the same rationale has not been applied to the security threat of climate change, which is a far greater risk."
One federal government source told the ABC that the report drew on both classified and non-classified material.
They would not say if the government would be willing to release a declassified version of the document, either now or in the future.
Report likely to affect new coal and gas mines
But the Greens have already backed the call for the report to be released, with Leader Adam Bandt accusing the government of deliberately hiding the document for political reasons.
"Labor is refusing to confront the scale of the climate crisis, keeping secret a report that would likely deliver a body blow to new coal and gas mines," he said.
"The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our nation, yet the government is keeping people in the dark."
