Echoes from the Brisbane Line: What Our Grandparents Fought For, We’re Giving Away

By The Fair Go Movement | July 2025

“Our grandparents fought to defend this nation. Now we’re watching it be dismantled from within—asset by asset, inch by inch.”

During World War II, Australia’s military planners drew a controversial line across the continent—from Brisbane to Adelaide. Everything north of it was seen as potentially indefensible. The idea was that if invasion came, we’d retreat south and abandon the north.

That plan, known as the Brisbane Line, sparked outrage then—and should still spark outrage now. Because in 2025, without ever declaring it, we’ve redrawn that line through our policies, our spending decisions, and our strategic laziness.

A Nation Drifting from Its Core

We've outsourced defence contracts overseas. We've sold strategic ports and farmland. We've allowed foreign-owned energy giants to control our critical infrastructure. We’ve even let Google Maps and hobbyists publish images of our military bases—while government remains silent.

We are not defending this nation the way our grandparents did. They built it, served it, and sacrificed for it. We lease it, outsource it, and ignore it.

The Brisbane Line Today

Today’s Brisbane Line is not a pencil mark on a map—it’s a mindset. A mindset that says:

• “Why manufacture it here when we can import it cheaper?”
• “Why build radar in the Top End when Sydney has better optics?”
• “Why worry about regional infrastructure when most voters live in cities?”

Every time we make those choices, we step closer to becoming a nation incapable of defending itself in the face of real threat. It is strategic amnesia—and national betrayal.

Reclaiming What Was Fought For

We must recommit to sovereign self-reliance. That means:

1. Restoring domestic manufacturing of defence and critical supplies
2. Reasserting control of key assets—ports, pipelines, and power grids
3. Building a new generation of regional Australians committed to national preparedness

This is not nostalgia—it’s necessity. If we truly honour those who came before us, then we must fight for what they left us: a free and self-sustaining Australia.

Published by The Fair Go Movement. All rights reserved.