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This week Australians around the world remember a hundred years since the Gallipoli landings. As part of the Anzac commemorations, I will represent the Australian Government in France at the dawn service in Villers?Brettoneux and the town service in Bullecourt. I will also be present at the Menin Gate service in Belgium. Villers?Brettoneux and Bullecourt were the sites of major battles during World War One, and are the resting places of many Australians, New Zealanders and other Allied nations.

From 1-3 September 2015, I will visit India to advance Australia-India defence cooperation. As part of this visit I will meet with my counterpart, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. I will also call on Prime Minister Modi. Building on the personal relationship of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abbott, I am pleased to visit India for the first time as Australia’s Defence Minister.

Over the past three days I have held very positive and productive talks with my Indian counterpart, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, as part of the second Australia-India Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. This engagement signifies an historical step forward in our defence and security relationship. During my visit I also had the privilege of meeting with other senior Ministers and Officials, including India’s Minister for External Affairs and the National Security Advisor.

Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne will travel to Indonesia and Malaysia from 20 – 21 March 2016. The Minister will meet her Indonesian counterpart General (Retired) Ryamizard Ryacudu in Jakarta and her Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Bin Tun Hussein in Kuala Lumpur on Monday 21 March 2016. The bilateral meetings will be the Minister's first opportunity to discuss defence and security issues with regional counterparts following the official launch of the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne has travelled to Iraq to meet with Australian Defence Force personnel deployed as part of Operation OKRA, Australia’s contribution to the international coalition to defeat Daesh. Australia is making a substantial military contribution to the coalition ground and air campaign as part of the effort to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

From 2-4 June 2015, I will visit Japan to meet with my Japanese counterpart, Defence Minister Gen Nakatani. This will be my first visit to Japan as Minister for Defence. Japan is an important regional defence and security partner for Australia. Our nations share a commitment to the rule of law, regional peace and security and mutual alliances with the United States. Australia welcomes and supports Japan’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its capacity to proactively contribute to regional and global peace and security.

Today the Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS), Vice Admiral David Johnston and key operations staff of Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) provided me with an update on Defence support to cyclone relief operations in the Northern Territory and Queensland. During the visit to HQJOC, an overview of Defence operations in the Middle East was also provided during a tour of the Air Operations Centre and Joint Coordination Centre.

Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston, overnight visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi as part of his official visit to the United Arab Emirates. “It was important for me to visit this site of cultural and religious importance while in the UAE. The vision of Sheikh Zayed has resulted in a magnificent landmark where the true meaning of Islam - peace - is evident in its open door policy and its hospitality to visitors of all cultures, religions and backgrounds,” Senator Johnston said.

Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston, will leave today for an official visit to China, the Republic of Korea and Japan from 12 to 17 October 2014. “This is a significant visit to three of Australia’s most important defence and security partners,” Senator Johnston said.

Today I met with United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon. This was our second face-to-face meeting this year, following the Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney in February. These bilateral discussions provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of Australia’s close partnership with the United Kingdom on a range of security issues, opportunities to improve interoperability between our armed forces and dialogue surrounding maritime capability and emerging defence technologies.

Today I will visit the community of Titjikala in the Northern Territory, as part of this year’s Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme (AACAP). I will be accompanied by the Deputy Chief of the Australian Army, Major General Rick Burr, DSC, AM, MVO. The AACAP Programme supports remote Indigenous communities, using the Australian Army’s technical expertise and experience to improve living conditions and community safety.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and Member for Durack, Melissa Price MP, today visited Defence’s West Australian Naval Communication Station Harold E Holt, which is set to gain a highly advanced Space Surveillance Telescope. “The telescope will soon be moved from its current location in the United States to a new purpose built Australian facility near Exmouth, Western Australia,” Minister Payne said. “Over the next four years, as part of Government’s White Paper commitment, the new facility will be built and the telescope relocated.”

Australia now has the most advanced air battle space management capability in the world, with the Royal Australian Air Force’s E-7A Wedgetail aircraft achieving Final Operational Capability. The fleet of six Wedgetail aircraft reached the milestone this month with the entire capability, from physical aircraft to logistics, management, sustainment, facilities and training, now fully operational and able to support ongoing operations. The Wedgetail has already proven to be highly reliable and effective on operations and this achievement will further Australia’s capabilities.

Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne congratulated Royal Australian Navy weapons engineer Captain Mona Shindy who received the 2015 Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award last night. Captain Shindy, who is the RAN’s Director Littoral Warfare and Maritime Support and the Chief of Navy’s strategic adviser on Islamic Cultural Affairs, was also a joint winner of the 2015 Government and Academia Award. “I am thrilled by the recognition of Captain Shindy's work and congratulate her on winning this coveted award,’’ Minister Payne said.

Today, Bill Shorten and the Labor Party proposed to delay the Future Submarine Programme by an additional five years, on top of the six years of delay and inaction when Labor was in government. Defence advises that a formal limited tender process would take around five years – not the 18 months Labor claims – delaying even further the essential work of developing and building the future submarine. This announcement follows six years of Labor Government risking critical capability gaps by refusing to make a decision on the replacement for the Collins class submarines.

Today, Bill Shorten and the Labor Party proposed to delay the Future Submarine Programme by an additional five years, on top of the six years of delay and inaction when Labor was in government. Defence advises that a formal limited tender process would take around five years – not the 18 months Labor claims – delaying even further the essential work of developing and building the future submarine. This announcement follows six years of Labor Government risking critical capability gaps by refusing to make a decision on the replacement for the Collins class submarines.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and thank you very much for the invitation to be here today. Let me first acknowledge that this event is being held on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal people and pay my respect to their elders past and present.

Subjects: Operation OKRA, Syrian airstrike, intelligence services review JOURNALIST: Marise Payne, we know Australian aircraft were involved in these strikes. Can you provide any more information about what involvement they had? Are we talking about bombers or support aircraft? MINISTER FOR DEFENCE:

Let me acknowledge my two very dear friends Teresa Gambaro and Bridget McKenzie, my two colleagues from Parliament, lovely to see you here at this event, it’s a very important subject to Australia and I’ve very pleased that you’re both here. Also my good friend Ambassador John Berry, I’m glad Maureen Dougherty is sitting between us because otherwise we’d just get up to so much mischief sitting together on the table. Niels [Marquardt], thank you for putting on the event today and my congratulations on the success of the Chamber, you’re doing a fabulous job.

In response to a request from the New Zealand Government, the Australian Defence Force will support the evacuation of people from the Kaikoura area who have been isolated following the earthquake that struck the South Island on Monday. HMAS Darwin has been diverted from her planned participation in the International Naval Review in Auckland and is now steaming to Kaikoura.

Subjects: Operation OKRA, Operation HIGHROAD, Operation ACCORDION JOURNALIST: Minister, you said in your speech there that you looked down and you saw an impressive sight, that people actually turned up and gave their time up to stand and cheer. MINISTER FOR DEFENCE:

In his first visit to Australia, the Afghan Minister for Defense, His Excellency Bismullah Khan Mohammadi, today met with Defence Minister Senator David Johnston in Canberra. Senator Johnston said the visit – which included attending the Victoria Cross Investiture Ceremony for Corporal Cameron Baird at Government House - strengthened the already close bonds between the two countries.

JOURNALIST I am joined now by the Defence Minister, Marise Payne. Senator Payne, thanks for joining us. MINISTER Good morning Michael. JOURNALIST Some are already beginning to argue that the alliance should change as a result of the Trump victory. Is that likely? MINISTER

Minister for Defence Senator David Johnston and the Japanese Minister of Defense His Excellency Mr Itsunori Onodera met today in Perth for their first official meeting to discuss ways in which the defence relationship between the two nations could deepen. While in Western Australia, Minister Onodera also visited HMAS Stirling and RAAF Base Pearce to see first hand the operations in support of the search for missing Malaysian flight MH370.

Thank you for inviting me to open the 2014 Defence Women in Peace and Security Conference. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you here today. I acknowledge CDF General David Hurley, VCDF AIRMSHL Mark Binskin, and my colleague Senator the Honourable Michealia Cash, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women. I would like to welcome our Defence personnel, overseas guests, members of other Government agencies and departments, and members of the public.

Hugh White claims that the Government’s plan to invest in appropriately capable maritime forces is a mistake and part of a cynical vote buying exercise. This couldn’t be further from the truth. As the Chief of Navy said on 4 August 2015, "This (continuous shipbuilding plan) provides certainty for not just the naval shipbuilding side of things but it also provides certainty for planning, not just within Navy, but within the Australian Defence Force".

Subjects: Operation OKRA, US Marine Rotational Force Darwin MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Okay. Thank you so much for coming up this afternoon. In response to a number of requests I thought it would be useful to make a couple of observations in relation to recent events in the Middle East.

MINISTER: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It is an extraordinary honour for me to be here this evening for this farewell parade for the fourth rotation to Task Group Taji. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to a large number of the young men and women who have been on parade here this afternoon. I heard the Chief of Army say it was one of the finest parades he’d seen in a very long time and I was certainly very impressed.

A Defence scientist who has exploited the science of sound to pinpoint military threats underwater and over land has won the 2016 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science. Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, congratulated Dr Brian Ferguson from the Defence Science and Technology Group for his world-leading research in acoustics and signal processing which has contributed significantly to Defence capability by detecting, classifying and tracking targets of military interest.

I speak today to update the Parliament and the Australian people about Australia’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since my last statement on 11 December 2013, there have been significant developments in Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, and this year has seen the commencement of the ADF mission in Iraq. There have been significant developments in Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, including the completion of our mission in Uruzgan and the historic transition of power to the National Unity Government of President Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah.