Rudd considers US visit for nuke talks

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is considering a trip to the US in April to discuss
nuclear non-proliferation with American officials.

In a rare public address, the federal government's National Security Adviser Duncan
Lewis mentioned the possibility of the trip during a lecture at the University of
Canberra on Friday.
"I'll in fact be going to the United States with the PM in, I think, it's April," Mr
Lewis said.
While the visit was not locked in, he clarified later, it would take place just
weeks after US President Barack Obama tours Australia in late March.
Comment is being sought from Mr Rudd's office.
In a wide-ranging lecture, Mr Lewis also addressed the national security budget,
which has ballooned since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
He said a range of economic strains including the global financial crisis would
result in a financial struggle for the likes of ASIO in coming years.
"We are going to be fairly strapped for money," Mr Lewis said.
"It's going to be tough.
"You'd be surprised if we were starting to pour substantial sums of money back into
national security any time soon."
The ASIO budget has grown exponentially since 2001 amid bipartisan support.
Its staffing levels alone have almost doubled, requiring a massive new headquarters
in suburban Canberra.
Taxpayers are coughing up $606 million over four years for the building, which will
house ASIO and the super-secretive Office of National Assessments.
Mr Lewis went on to address what he saw as the central threats to national security
in 2010, focusing on the ever-growing risk of cyber-attack.
"The cyber thing is real and it's now and it's fast," he said.
"Cyber (security) is a specific threat ... and it needs to be addressed now."
The government has been doing just that with a string of announcements through 2009
and 2010 including the opening of the Cyber Security Operations Centre within the
Defence Signals Directorate in Canberra.