Gillard Focuses On Cyber Security Around Canberra these past few days, diplomats politely and privately inquired whether a top secret version of the Gillard government's national security strategy had been produced - surely this was just a saccharine copy to be released to the general public? But no, the Australian officials were briefing their foreign counterparts on the real thing before the Prime Minister's launch on Wednesday of a document long on platitudes. "A foundation of strength to a secure future" and "enhanced regional engagement" - who could disagree? These are not messages foreign capitals will much bother noting as they are hardly remarkable. Indeed, there is very little to object to in this entire document because it mainly covers old ground, either in the Asian Century white paper last year or flagged for the forthcoming Defence blueprint. Labor also commissioned a review of the intelligence agencies, that reported in 2011, and covered some of this patch. But 2013 is an election year, of course, and the government needs to be seen to be doing something now, even if this strategy is destined to simply be more decoration for a bureaucrat's bookshelf. The Coalition will easily mock Labor's record holding up the declared pillar "preserving Australia's border integrity," and the surge in asylum seeker arrivals has been challenging. But the Coalition also has to prove whatever approach it will take is not bounded by its past experience. The perceived strength on the conservative side for defence and security has largely been squandered as the Coalition - with the exception of "stop the boats" - has vacated the debate. Gillard's speech was better than the document itself, emphasising the potential of countries in the region to create upheaval. This suggests the government would have been better to stick with Kevin Rudd's plan to each year deliver a national security statement, rather than go to all the trouble to collate a strategy document that will be quickly overtaken by events. Because the wisest words in this otherwise wasteful exercise was to restate the old truism: "surprises are possible." Labor hopes rest on a big one later this year.