WA is spending $11.5 million on security for a major ‘arms fair’. The Greens have questions
The West Australian government will spend an additional $10.5 million to beef up security at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre to host an event that saw major disruption in Melbourne’s CBD when it was held there two years ago.
The biennial Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition, previously held in Brisbane and Melbourne, attracts hundreds of defence personnel from around the world to its showcase of weapons and technology.
The last event, held in Melbourne in 2024, brought the city centre to a standstill after protesters from different activist groups including Extinction Rebellion and Students for Palestine banded together to form a larger group, Disrupt Land Forces.
According to the expo’s website, the biennial convention is the premier event for the land defence sector, connecting Australian and international defence, industry, government, academia, and technology leaders in support of national and regional security.
The latest WA budget has allocated more than $10 million to deliver security arrangements associated with Perth hosting the event in October, including $4.4 million in capital expenditure.
A total of $655,000 had already been allocated in the 2025/26 budget.
But WA Greens MP Sophie McNeill questioned the importance of the event to Perth, and has urged the government to justify the amount spent to guarantee security for the expo.
“At a time when WA Police are refusing to provide security at courts across WA because they say they don’t have the resources, how do they justify this spend on security for Land Forces?” she said.
“This is completely outrageous and says everything about this government’s priorities.”
McNeill brought up the government’s security spend on the expo in her budget reply speech last week, stating the event was “basically an arms fair”.
“There was an absolute corker in the budget,” she said in parliament.
“I almost cannot believe it is so bad.
“This is basically an arms fair. It is where the world’s worst companies come to flog their murderous wares.
McNeill said while people in WA were sleeping in their cars, women were being turned away from domestic violence shelters and families were lining up for food aid, millions of dollars were being spent security for a weapons exposition.
“It is a complete outrage, and we will be digging into that in estimates,” she said.
“This budget raises really serious questions about how fundamentally broken the system is and how wrong this government’s priorities are.”
Victorian government officials considered cancelling 2024’s Land Forces weapons expo just weeks from the event after realising $15 million in costs for policing protesters had not been accounted for.
A state government spokesperson said the investment into Land Forces is about supporting effective police resources and ensuring public safety.
“The Expo will deliver significant strategic, economic and industrial benefits to Western Australia and Australia,” the spokesperson said.
“This investment isn’t just about one event – it’s about making sure WA Police have the infrastructure, technology and operational capability they need into the future so they can respond to major events safely, and continue protecting the community.
“Land Forces Expo requires co-ordinated security and traffic management as the event is expected to attract up to 10,000 domestic and international delegates.
“With the current uncertain environment where Australia, and the world has seen acts of terrorism, our government is committed to building capacity for the future and ensuring our state is prepared for any threat.”
Michael Philipps is a producer and reporter with WAtoday.