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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did the Department of Defence go to the party? Because it was a defence-ful dancer.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Defence Australia)

Department of Defence
Logo of the Department of Defence
Department overview
Formed14 April 1942 (1942-04-14)[1]
Preceding department
JurisdictionAustralia
HeadquartersCanberra
Employees16,272 (2020)[2]
Annual budgetA$37.82 billion (2019–20)[3]
Minister responsible
Department executive
  • Meghan Quinn PSM, Secretary of the Department of Defence
Child agencies
Websitedefence.gov.au

The Department of Defence is the department of the Australian Government responsible for national defence policy, supporting the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and ensuring the overall defence of Australia and her national interests. Along with the ADF and other agencies, it forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO). The Department is accountable to the Parliament of Australia, on behalf of the Australian people, for its spending of public funds and implementation of government policy.[4] Defence staff are primarily based out of the Russell Offices and Campbell Park Offices in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.

The executive head of the department, who leads it on a day-to-day basis, independent of a change in government, is the Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF), currently Meghan Quinn PSM. SECDEF reports to the Minister for Defence, currently Richard Marles.

History

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Australia has had at least one defence-related government department since Federation in 1901. The first Department of Defence existed from 1901 until 1921. In 1915, during World War I, a separate Department of the Navy was created. The two departments merged in 1921 to form the second Department of Defence, regarded as a separate body.[5]

A major departmental reorganisation occurred in the lead-up to World War II. The Department of Defence was abolished and replaced with six smaller departments – the Defence Co-ordination (for defence policy, financial, and administrative matters), three "service departments" (Army, Navy, and Air), the Supply and Development (for munitions and materiel), and Civil Aviation.[5] The current Department of Defence was formally created in 1942, when Prime Minister John Curtin renamed the previous Department of Defence Co-ordination. The other defence-related departments underwent a series of reorganisations, before being merged into the primary department over the following decades. This culminated in the abolition of the three service departments in 1973. A new Department of Defence Support was created in 1982, but abolished in 1984.[6]

In May 2022, The Canberra Times reported that department had been renamed Defence Australia.[7] However, the department's corporate documents continue to refer to it as the Department of Defence.[8]

The Australian Department of Defence, along with Australian state and other governments, partially fund the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a defence and strategic policy think tank also based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.[9]

Defence Committee

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The Defence Committee is the primary decision-making committee in the Department of Defence. It is supported by six subordinate committees, groups and boards. The Defence Committee is focused on major capability development and resource management for the Australian Defence Organisation and shared accountabilities of the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force.[10]

The members of the Defence Committee are:

Organisational groups

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Department headquarters at the Russell Offices complex in Canberra

As of 2016, the Department of Defence consists of ten major organisational groups:[11]

Diarchy

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The Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and the Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF) jointly manage the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) under a diarchy in which both report directly to the Minister for Defence and the Assistant Minister for Defence. The ADO diarchy is a governance structure unique in the Australian Public Service.

List of departmental secretaries

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The Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF) is a senior public service officer and historically the appointees have not come from military service.

NamePost-nominlal'sDate appointment
commenced		Date appointment
ceased		Term in officeNotesRef(s)
Captain Sir Muirhead CollinsKCMG, PVNF 190119109 years, 0 daysPethebridge was acting Secretary 1906–1910
Brigadier General Sir Samuel Pethebridge KCMG 191019188 years, 0 daysTrumble was acting Secretary 1914–1918
Thomas TrumbleCMG, CBE 191819279 years, 0 days
Malcolm ShepherdCMG, ISO 1927193710 years, 0 days
Sir Frederick SheddenKCMG, OBE 19371956 19 years, 301 days
Sir Edwin HicksCBE 28 October 19565 January 196811 years, 69 days[16]
Sir Henry Bland 1 May 196819701 year, 361 days[17][18]
Sir Arthur TangeAC, CBE March 1970August 19799 years, 92 days[19]
Bill PritchettAO August 19796 February 19844 years, 189 days[20][21]
Sir William Cole 6 February 198415 October 19862 years, 251 days[21]
Alan WoodsAC December 198631 July 19881 year, 243 days[21]
Tony AyersAC 1 August 1988February 19989 years, 184 days[21][22]
Paul BarrattAO February 199831 August 19991 year, 211 daysAppointment terminated by the Governor-General on the recommendation of Prime Minister Howard.
Barratt fought the decision in the Federal Court, losing on appeal.		[23][24]
Dr Allan HawkeAC21 October 199920 October 20022 years, 364 days[21][25][26]
Ric SmithAO, PSM 11 November 20023 December 20064 years, 22 days[21][26][27]
Nick WarnerAO, PSM4 December 200613 August 20092 years, 252 days[21][27][28][29]
Dr Ian WattAO13 August 20095 September 20112 years, 23 days[21][28][30]
Major General Duncan LewisAO, DSC, CSC 5 September 201118 October 20121 year, 43 days[21][30][31]
Dennis RichardsonAO18 October 201212 May 20174 years, 206 days[31]
Greg MoriartyAO4 September 20171 April 2026 8 years, 327 days[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ CA 46: Department of Defence [III], Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 9 February 2021
  2. ↑ Macmillan, Jade; Greene, Andrew (30 June 2020). "Australia to spend $270b building larger military to prepare for 'poorer, more dangerous' world and rise of China". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Portfolio Budget Statements 2019-20, Budget Related Paper No. 1.4A" (PDF). Department of Defence. 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "Defence mission". Department of Defence. n.d. Retrieved 2 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. 1 2 "Defence: Administrative History". National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Department of Defence [III]". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  7. ↑ "Federal department rebrands as Defence Australia". The Canberra Times.
  8. ↑ "Organisation structure". Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Australian Strategic Policy Institute Limited Annual Report 2018-2019". www.transparency.gov.au. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Who we are and what we do". Australian Government Department of Defence. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "Groups: About us". Department of Defence. Australian Government. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Peever, David (April 2015). "First Principles Review: Creating One Defence" (PDF). Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Fact Sheet: Smaller Government: Defence Materiel Organisation: Reintegration into the Department of Defence" (MS Word). Department of Defence, Australian Government. May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Stop Press! Name Change" (Press release). 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015. As part of the First Principles Review implementation, from 1 July 2015 the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has been renamed as the Defence Science and Technology Group.
  15. ↑ Intelligence and Security Group Archived 12 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Government Directory
  16. ↑ Farquharson, John (2007). "Hicks, Sir Edwin William (Ted) (1910–1984)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  17. ↑ Farquharson, John. "Bland, Sir Henry (Harry) (1909–1997)". Obituaries Australia. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Mitcham, Chad J. ‘Bland, Sir Henry Armand (Harry) (1909-1997)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bland-sir-henry-armand-harry-1549/text41469
  19. ↑ James, Lieutenant Colonel Neil (May 2000). Reform of the Defence Management Paradigm : A Fresh View (PDF). Working Paper Series. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. p. 40. ISBN 0-7317-0441-X. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  20. ↑ NLA Catalogue
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jennings, Peter; Channer, Hayley (October 2012). "Look Behind You, Mr Richardson". The Strategist. Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  22. ↑ Hawke, Bob (2 June 1988). "For the media". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  23. ↑ Colvin, Mark; Reynolds, Fiona (31 August 1999). "Barratt sacked" (transcript). PM. Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  24. ↑ Colvin, Mark; Reynolds, Fiona (10 March 2000). "Barrett loses appeal against dismissal" (transcript). PM. Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  25. ↑ Howard, John (21 October 1999). "New Secretary to the Department of Defence". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  26. 1 2 Farnsworth, Malcolm (25 September 2002). "Defence Department Head Removed By Government". australianpolitics.com. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  27. 1 2 Howard, John (2 November 2006). "Secretary – Department of Defence". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  28. 1 2 Rudd, Kevin (13 August 2009). "Departmental secretaries and statutory office-holders, Canberra". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  29. ↑ Keane, Bernard (30 March 2009). "Defence is simply too big for Nick Warner". Crikey. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  30. 1 2 Gillard, Julia (4 August 2011). "Departmental Secretaries". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  31. 1 2 Gillard, Julia (17 September 2012). "Diplomatic Appointment and Appointment of Secretaries of the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  32. ↑ Turnbull, Malcolm (28 July 2017). "Secretary of the Department of Defence". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
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