All releases

Television Interview, ABC

SUBJECTS: Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead; AUKUS.  JANE NORMAN, ABC: Defence Minister Richard Marles, Vice Admiral Mead, welcome. Thanks for your time. You've been in the service for more than 40 years now. Did you ever imagine that at the end of it, Australia would be on the cusp of acquiring…

Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead

Director-General of the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead has advised the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence that he will step down from his role in mid-2026.  Vice Admiral Mead has made an enormous contribution to the development of the AUKUS optimal…

Address to 2025 Indo Pacific Conference breakfast

So welcome everyone today to the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition 2025 and the accompanying Royal Australian Navy's Sea Power conference.  And quite literally, Indo Pac 2025 is bigger and better than it has ever been.  On the Navy side of the house, last count, there are 58…

Joint Readout of the Meeting of Defense Ministers From Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Koizumi Shinjiro, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., and United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met together on November 1, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. …

An AUKUS milestone - launch of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator

The Albanese Government has delivered a key milestone in Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine program with the establishment of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator. The new statutory Agency is responsible for the effective regulatory oversight of…

Travel to Malaysia for ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will this weekend represent Australia at the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Malaysia. ASEAN sits at the core of Australia’s vision for a peaceful, stable and…

Press Conference, South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting

SUBJECTS: South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting. 

Joint Communique - South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting

Defence Ministers or their representatives from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga gathered in Viña del Mar for the 10th South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) from 22 to 24 October 2025. They were joined by observers from Japan, the United…

Travel to Chile for the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, is travelling to Chile for the 2025 South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM).  SPDMM provides a forum for regional defence ministers to enhance cooperation and drive Pacific-led responses to shared regional challenges…

Television Interview, ABC 7:30

SUBJECTS: AUKUS; Prime Minister’s visit to the United States; Unsafe and unprofessional interaction with PLA-AF; Taiwan; Defence spending; Critical minerals   MICHAEL ROWLAND, HOST: The Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles, joined me earlier. Richard Marles, welcome.…

Joint Press Conference, Adelaide

SUBJECTS: AUKUS; Prime Minister’s visit to the United States; Unsafe and unprofessional interaction with PLA-AF; EU defence relationships; Critical Minerals Framework; SA election. 

Television Interview, Sky News

SUBJECTS: Unsafe and unprofessional interaction with People’s Liberation Army‑Air Force; 31st Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum; PNG-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty; Australia-Vanuatu relationship; Prime Minister’s visit to the US; AUKUS.