| Department of Defence | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Headquarters | Canberra |
| Employees | 65,647 |
| Annual budget | A$26.35 billion (08/09) A$42 billion (11/12) |
| Ministers responsible | Stephen Smith, Minister for Defence Warren Snowdon, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Jason Clare, Minister for Defence Materiel |
| Agency executive | MAJGEN Duncan Lewis, AO, DSC, CSC (Ret'd), Secretary of Defence (SECDEF) |
| Parent agency | Australian Defence Organisation |
| Child agency | Capability Development Group Chief Finance Officer Group Chief Information Officer Group Defence Materiel Organisation Defence Science and Technology Organisation Defence Signals Directorate Defence Support Group Intelligence, Security and International Policy Joint Operations Command People Strategies and Policy Strategy, Coordination and Governance Vice Chief of the Defence Force |
| Website | |
| www.defence.gov.au | |
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) along with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests. It is accountable to the Commonwealth Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, for the efficiency and effectiveness with which it carries out the Government's defence policy.
Contents |
The Department of Defence consists of 11 major organisational groups:
The Australian Defence Force consists of:
The Defence Materiel Organisation is a prescribed agency responsible for acquisition, sustainment and disposal of Defence equipment. Although the DMO forms part of the Department of Defence, it is also separately accountable to the Minister for its budget and performance.
The Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and the Secretary for the Department of Defence jointly manage the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) under a "diarchy", a term used to describe the relationship between the Chief of the Defence Force and Secretary, who both report directly to the Minister for Defence. The ADO diarchy is a governance structure unique in the Australian Commonwealth public service.
| Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Robert Henry Muirhead Collins | 1901–1906 | |
| Brig Gen Sir Samuel Pethebridge | ||
| Thomas Trumble CMG | 1918–1927 | |
| Sir Frederick Shedden, KCMG, OBE | 1937–1956 | |
| Arthur Tange | c.1970 | |
| Tony Ayers AC | ||
| Alan Woods AC | ||
| Paul Barratt AO | ||
| Allan Hawke | 1999–2002 | |
| Richard C Smith AO PSM | 2002–2006 | |
| Nick Warner, PSM | 2006–2009 | |
| Dr Ian Watt, AO | 2009–2011 | |
| MAJGEN Duncan Lewis, AO, DSC, CSC (Ret'd) | 2011 – Incumbent |