Minister for Defence (Australia)
The minister for Defence, also known as the Defence minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the organisation, implementation, and formulation of strategic policy in defence and military matters as the head of the Department of Defence. The Defence minister directs the government’s approach to the Australian Defence Organisation and the Australian Defence Force. The current Defence minister is Richard Marles, who is concurrently serving as deputy prime minister of Australia, he was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May 2022 following the 2022 Australian federal election.
| Minister for Defence | |
|---|---|
Minister for Defence Pennant | |
| Department of Defence | |
| Style | The Honourable (formal) Minister (spoken) |
| Member of | Parliament Cabinet Federal Executive Council National Security Committee |
| Reports to | Prime Minister |
| Seat | Canberra |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister |
| Term length | At the Governor-General's pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Section 64, Constitution of Australia |
| Formation | 1 January 1901 |
| First holder | James Dickson |
| Salary | $364,406 (AUD) |
| Website | www |
As the Minister for Defence is responsible for the executive management of Australia's defence and military forces and the portfolio's accountability to the Parliament, the Secretary of Defence is required under section 63(1) of the Public Service Act 1999 and the Requirements for Annual Reports from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit to submit a report to the responsible ministers on the activities of the Department of Defence after the end of each financial year for presentation to the Parliament.
It is one of only four ministerial positions (along with Prime Minister, Attorney-General and Treasurer) that have existed since Federation.