As the Minister for Defence is responsible for the 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.[3][4]
The Defence minister is primarily responsible for implementing government defence policy. The three main entities responsible for formulating defence policy within Defence are the Air Power Development Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and Sea Power Centre - Australia.[6] Additionally, the minister releases white papers, that assess Australia's current defence capabilities and set out areas of reform.[7]
The most recent white paper publication is the 2016 Defence White Paper that includes three elements: the 2016 Defence White Paper itself, 2016 Integrated Investment Program, and 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement. It is the eighth defence white paper since 1976.
Composition of the defence portfolio
Over the years there have been a number of ministers with a variety of functions involved in the defence portfolio; in the period November 1939 to April 1942, there was no position named Minister of Defence. Instead, several ministers were responsible for the various tasks and duties that are presently under the purview of the minister for Defence.
Previous governments have included ministers with titles using one or more of the following terms:
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.
The following have served as Minister for Defence:[9]
^ abcdAlthough McBride served the longest continuously, Pearce had the longest combined service at more than 13 years, and as a member of four parties (Labor, National Labor, Nationalist, and UAP).
^ abThe Liberal and National Labor parties approved a coalition agreement on 13 February 1917,[10] and the new ministry was sworn on 17 February 1917.[11] The parties co-ordinated their campaign against Labor at the 1917 election,[12] and while there was some discussion of the two parties remaining separate,[13] they formally merged on 13 June 1917.[14]
^The Parliamentary Handbook erroneously records Massy-Greene as Assistant Minister for Defence from 1921 to 1923. He was in fact the Minister for Defence.[15] He retained responsibility for Health, which he had held as Minister for Trade and Customs,[16] and was consequently titled Minister for Defence and Health.[17]
^ abOn 13 November 1939, early in the Second World War, Menzies divided the Defence portfolio into separate Army, Navy and Air portfolios and appointed himself Minister for Defence Coordination to oversee them.[9] Curtin retained this arrangement, but he reverted to the title Minister for Defence on 21 September 1943.[9]
^The Parliamentary Handbook erroneously records that Ryrie ceased to be Assistant Minister for Defence, being replaced by Massy-Greene. In fact, Massy-Greene was appointed Minister for Defence, and Ryrie remained in post.[17][18]
^Elder, DR; Fowler, PE, eds. (June 2018). "Chapter 2: The Ministry". House of Representatives Practice (7th ed.). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN978-1-74366-656-2. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
