Minister of Defence (Australia)
| Minister for Defence | |
|---|---|
| Department of Defence | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Appointer | Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | James Dickson |
| Formation | 1901 |
The Australian Minister for Defence is currently Senator the Honourable Marise Payne. Senator Payne became the first female Minister for Defence on 21 September 2015.
The minister administers their portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence which includes the Defence Science and Technology Group and Defence Strategic Policy and Intelligence Group and the Australian Defence Force which includes the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Australian Air Force.
Over the years there have been a number of ministries with a variety of names involved the defence portfolio; in the period November 1939 to April 1942, there was no position named "Minister of Defence".
Previous governments have included ministers with titles using one or more of the following:
There was a Minister for Defence from 1 January 1901 until 13 November 1939, with the exception of two small breaks. Robert Menzies, the Prime Minister, abolished the position on the outbreak of World War II and created separate Ministers for the Navy, the Army and the Air, with himself as Minister for Defence Coordination in his first ministry. He retained this position until the fall of his government, and then held the post in the brief government of Arthur Fadden. John Curtin initially followed the same arrangement as Menzies in his ministry until 14 April 1942, when he took the title of Minister for Defence. The separate titles of Ministers for the Navy, the Army and the Air were abolished in the second Whitlam Ministry on 30 November 1973, when the separate departments of Navy, Army and Air were also abolished. There had also been a separate Navy portfolio between 1915 and 1921.
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