Peter Dutton to promise Australia will boost defence spending to the 3% of GDP demanded by Trump administration

Labor's Richard Marles says announcement is a pathetic whimper' rather than a defence policy

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A Coalition government, if elected, would boost Australian defence spending to the 3% of GDP demanded by the Trump administration of America's allies, opposition leader Peter Dutton will promise on Wednesday.

The opposition leader, in Perth after an occasionally acrimonious leaders' debate in Sydney on Tuesday night, will pledge to spend $21bn over the next five years on Australia's defence, lifting it, as a proportion of Australia's gross domestic product, to 2.5%.

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