Statements

Joint Statement from UK and Australia on the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) June 2026

On 10 June 2026, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, and the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon John Healey MP, hosted the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, and the Minister for…

Australia-Germany 2+2 Ministerial Consultations

The third Security Policy Consultations between the Foreign and Defence Ministries of Australia and Germany convened today on 8 June 2026 at the level of Ministers. The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, Dr. Johann Wadephul, and the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany,…

Joint Statement on the Second India–Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue

1. Minister of Defence of India, Shri Rajnath Singh, welcomed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, to India for the second India–Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue. They welcomed the significant progress in the bilateral relationship, and reflected on…

Joint Statement, AUKUS Defence Ministers’ Meeting

Today the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Honorable Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Right Honourable John Healey MP, UK Secretary of State for Defence, met at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore and re-affirmed their commitment to…

Defence ministers’ meeting on the Strait of Hormuz multilateral mission

Overnight I joined defence ministers from more than 40 other countries to reaffirm the use of collective diplomatic, economic and military capabilities to support freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia stands ready to support an independent and strictly defensive…

Joint Statement, Australia-Japan Defence Ministers’ Meeting

18 April 2026, Melbourne, Australia  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia, the Hon. Richard Marles MP, and the Minister of Defense of Japan, Koizumi Shinjiro, met in Melbourne to discuss the development of the Australia-Japan defence partnership and mark a…

Joint Statement, Australia–Germany Defence Ministers’ Meeting

The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Richard Marles MP, welcomed the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, Mr Boris Pistorius, to Canberra for his first official visit to Australia. 

Operationalising the Australia-New Zealand Alliance: Anzac 2035 - Closer Defence Relations Statement

At approximately 4:30am on the 25th of April 1915, the first ANZAC landing at Gallipoli forged a bond unlike any other; changing the Australian and New Zealand relationship forever. Since then, Australians and New Zealanders have served and fought side-by-side with selflessness, courage,…

Australia–New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations 2+2

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Hon Richard Marles MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong hosted New Zealand Minister of Defence Hon Judith Collins KC MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters MP on 17 March in Canberra for the…

Joint Statement, Australia-UK Defence Industry Dialogue

On 23 February 2026, the UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP hosted the Minister for Defence Industry of Australia, the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, for the Australia–UK Defence Industry Dialogue (AUKDID). This meeting marked the revival of the Dialogue following the 2025…

Joint Statement, AUKUS Defence Ministers’ Meeting

Today the Honorable Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, hosted the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and the Right Honourable John Healey MP, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. to reaffirm the…

Joint Fact Sheet on Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles on December 8 in Washington, D.C., marking 40 years of AUSMIN consultations. Building on the historic October 2025…