Protesters have pinned fake $100 notes to a replica F-35 fighter jet in inner Sydney to demonstrate against excessive government spending on military resources.
The group of about 40 demonstrators gathered outside the office of Health Minister Tanya Plibersek on Monday as part of the global day of action against military spending.
The protesters offered passers-by photocopied $100 notes to be pinned to the cardboard cut-out fighter jets, as a symbolic gesture of the "wastage".
"Australia doesn't have any enemies. We don't need to be spending the second-highest amount on defence in the OECD," protest organiser Nick Deane told AAP.
"It is wastage. We are not under threat. We don't need the level of military spending and commitment that we've got at the moment."
Mr Deane said the government should scrap plans to purchase 100 "lemon" Joint Strike Fighter jets - worth $130 million each - because they are not suited to the country's defence needs.
He said there was a risk Australia would get involved in an arms race between China and the US if it continued on its current defence spending commitments.
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said some of the military dollars should be diverted to address issues faced by countries in conflict and war.
"If governments spent $4.8 billion per day on addressing environmental, economic, food and human security, many of the root causes of armed conflict would be eliminated," he said in a statement on Monday.
He said the government should spend defence dollars on "genuine security threats" and scrap its plans to buy the Joint Strike Fighters.
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