Speeches

Handover of VOEA Nafanua II to Samoa

**Check against delivery**   Let me start by acknowledging the Whadjuk Noongar people as the original custodians of the land on which we are meeting on today, Whadjuk Noongar Boodja.I pay my respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present and emerging.I also pay…

Honouring Women United by Defence Service

**Check against delivery**   Thank you, Kimberlea, for that warm welcome. Good evening Your Excellencies, Ministerial colleagues and the many distinguished guests here. We are all distinguished Australians here tonight, who are united in service to our nation. We are united, as Brenden has…

Indo-Pacific Conference, WA

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WA Indo-Pacific Conference

**Check against delivery**   Thank you for the warm introduction.  It’s a pleasure to be here today. And thank you to those of you who has lasted to the end of a very full and fabulous day’s program, not quite the midnight shift, but as a 16 year member of the Fremantle Football Club, I…

Defence + Industry Gala Awards

National Convention Centre, Canberra   ***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***   Thank you very much Mark for the introduction. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet — the Ngunnawal people — and pay my respects to their elders past, present…

ASPI-FPCI 1.5 Track Dialogue 2019

**Check against delivery**   Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to you all — and thank you Peter for that warm welcome. Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet — the Ngunnawal people — and pay my respects to their elders past, present and…

Reshaping the Australia-United Kingdom Partnership in a New Strategic Environment

Thank you Nick for that very warm welcome.And congratulations to IISS for the success of the Shangri-La Dialogue which I had the great fortune to attend in the second day of the job as Minister for Defence.It was a wonderful opportunity for me, very quickly, to meet some of my counterparts.…

AI Group Defence Council National Executive Dinner

SYDNEY   ***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***   I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, the Gadigal of the Eora and pay my respects to Elders past and present. It is a great pleasure to be here with you tonight as the new Minister for…

Opening of Defence Science Centre, Perth

Check against delivery   Good morning, everyone. Thank you for that warm welcome.   It’s great to be here for the opening of the Defence Science Centre — a fabulous new addition to Western Australia’s science and defence industry scene. Over the coming years and decades, this centre…

ASPI International Conference: War in 2025

Thank you, Michael Shoebridge, for that warm welcome. Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet – the Ngunnawal people – and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I also pay my respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and…

Shangri-La Dialogue 2019

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning to you all and thank you, John, for your very warm welcome here today. It’s wonderful to be here for my first Shangri-La Dialogue as Australia’s Defence Minister and also to be joined in this panel session by General Lich and also Secretary Lorenzana. And I thank…

Fullerton Forum Keynote

Introduction Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. It’s a great honour to be here at the seventh annual Fullerton Forum. Over the years, the Forum has earned a reputation for incisive debate on regional security and defence policy, and for developing some of the key themes for…