All releases

Independent Tribunal to reconsider medallic recognition for Rifle Company Butterworth

The independent Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal will re-examine the issue of medallic recognition for Australians who served with Rifle Company Butterworth in Malaysia between 1970 and 1989. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee said the Government had listened…

Budget 2022-23 delivers record investment in Defence and supporting our veterans

Joint media release:  Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Science and Technology, the Hon Melissa Price MP Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, the Hon Andrew Gee MP Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon…

New Defence housing HQ officially opens in Gungahlin

Joint media release:  Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator the Hon Zed Seselja The brand-new, state-of-the-art Defence Housing Australia (DHA) head office has officially opened in the Gungahlin CBD, moving hundreds of…

Support available over the Christmas break

Support services for Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, veterans and their families will continue to be available 24/7 over the Christmas period.  Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee encouraged those who need support to reach out. “The Christmas period can…

ADF reserve civilian employers recognised

The annual Defence Employer Support Awards has recognised leading employers across Australia for their contribution and support to Australian Defence Force (ADF) reservists. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel Andrew Gee said the awards showcase employers that have…

Government protecting veterans' interests following court decision

Joint media release:  Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homeless, Social and Community Housing, the Hon Michael Sukkar MP In a significant win for veterans across the country, the Morrison-Joyce Government has taken action to ensure no veteran will be made worse off due…

Unknown HMAS Sydney II sailor named after 80 years

Eighty years after the Australian warship HMAS Sydney (II) sunk off the West Australian coast, the only body recovered from the tragedy has now been identified. New DNA evidence has confirmed Able Seaman (AB) Thomas Welsby Clark from New Farm in Brisbane as the previously unidentified sailor. The…

Home of the soldier marks 70th anniversary

Joint media release:  Federal Member for Riverina, the Hon Michael McCormack MP Kapooka, the ‘home of the soldier’, today celebrates 70 years of training Australian soldiers to be among the best in the world. Around 350,000 Australians have now passed through the iconic Army Recruit Training…

An unknown Australian soldier of the Great War identified

The body of a Victorian soldier, killed in action during the First World War, has been identified in an unnamed grave in France, more than a century after his death. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee today confirmed the identification of Lieutenant James Mark Kennedy,…

A call to honour the fallen on Remembrance Day

‘One sits and ponders sadly of those many pals who are “gone to that home from which no wanderer returns.” … The very flower of our manhood have paid the greatest price, not willingly for not one of them but longed to live, return home and forget, yes just forget the horrors of the past … Please…

New water infrastructure for residents in West Bullsbrook

Joint media release:  Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel, the Hon Andrew Gee MP Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham  The Morrison-Joyce Government has delivered on its promise to find a solution to the provision of a long-term, sustainable water…

Aussie Defence Industry to make critical weapons components for boxer vehicles

Joint media release The HON Andrew Gee MP, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel, Member for Calare  Thales Australia has been contracted by Rheinmetall Defence Australia to manufacture critical weapons components for the Australian Army’s new Boxer 8x8 Combat…