Statements

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…

Joint Statement on Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) July 2025

Statement on Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) July 2025

Counter-drone investment and drone championships

I begin by also acknowledging the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region.  As the Minister for Defence Industry, I also pay my respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and…

Trilateral Defence Consultations Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement on Efforts to Deepen Our Defence Cooperation

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth convened the fifteenth Trilateral Defence Ministerial Meeting (TDMM) in Singapore on 31 May 2025 during the 22nd International Institute…

Joint Statement on 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 Nakatani Gen, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met together on May 31, 2025 in Singapore. This marked the…

Three years on, Australia stands with Ukraine

Today marks three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  For three years, Ukraine has bravely resisted Russia’s illegal and immoral war of aggression.  Australia mourns the loss of life of Ukraine’s citizens and defenders, and the generational toll of Russia’s brutality.…

Joint Statement: Australia-Papua New Guinea Defence Ministers' Meeting

On 20 February, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles hosted Minister for Defence Dr Billy Joseph for the 2025 Australia-Papua New Guinea Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brisbane.  The two Ministers reaffirmed the defence relationship as a key pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic and…

Statement on Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN)

On 16 December 2024, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs the Rt Hon David Lammy MP and the Secretary of State for Defence the Rt Hon John Healey MP hosted the Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for…

Joint Statement - 4th Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee on Defence Cooperation

The Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Honourable Richard Marles, welcomed the Malaysian Minister of Defence, the Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, to Melbourne for the 4th Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee on Defence Cooperation on 10 December 2024.…