Statements

Joint Statement, Australia-PNG-Indonesia Trilateral Defence Ministers' Meeting

The Hon Dr Billy Joseph, MP Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence The Hon Richard Marles MP, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence General (Ret.) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesian Minister of Defence Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Defence, the Hon.  Dr Billy Joseph MP,…

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…

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. …

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…

Defence Ministers' Joint Statement - PNG-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty Implementation

Australia’s Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, and Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Defence, the Hon Dr Billy Joseph MP met today in Canberra to begin our pathway from defence partners to allies under the PNG-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty – the Pukpuk Treaty…

Joint Statement on the 2025 Australia–India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue

1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, welcomed Minister of Defence of India, Shri Rajnath Singh, to Australia for the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue. The Dialogue reflected unprecedented progress in the bilateral defence…

Joint Statement: Fiji-Australia Defence Ministers’ Meeting

Today, we, the Minister for Defence and Veterans’ Affairs the Honourable Pio Tikoduadua and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Honourable Richard Marles MP held the annual Fiji-Australia Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Suva.  Deep and enduring people-to-people links are integral…

Joint Statement on the Twelfth Japan–Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations

H.E. Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan; H.E. Mr. NAKATANI Gen, Minister of Defense of Japan; the Hon Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia; and Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, met in Tokyo on 5…

Joint Statement on the Ninth Australia-Indonesia Foreign and Defence Ministers' 2+2 Meeting

Australian and Indonesian Foreign and Defence Ministers met for the Ninth Australia–Indonesia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ 2+2 Meeting on 28 August 2025 in Canberra. Ministers met in a spirit of genuine friendship, deep respect and shared resolve to deepen bilateral cooperation and discuss…

Joint Statement for the 2nd Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers' Meeting

Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles held the 2nd Philippines–Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting on August 22, 2025 in Manila, the Philippines. The principals reaffirmed defense cooperation as a vital pillar of the…

Joint Statement on 5th Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee (HLC) Meeting

The Minister of Defence Malaysia, the Honourable Dato' Seri Haji Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, and the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Honourable Richard Marles co-chaired the 5th Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on 21 August 2025.…

Joint Statement on the Australia United Kingdom Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty

On 26 July 2025 in Geelong, Australia, the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia and the Right Honourable John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom (UK) signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and…