Federal defence department of the Australian Government
This article is about the civilian department of the Australian Public Service which supports the Australian Defence Force. For the military force itself, see
Australian Defence Force.
A major departmental reorganisation occurred in the lead-up to World War II. The Department of Defence was abolished and replaced with six smaller departments – the
Defence Co-ordination (for defence policy, financial, and administrative matters), three "service departments" (
Army,
Navy, and
Air), the
Supply and Development (for munitions and materiel), and
Civil Aviation.[5] The current Department of Defence was formally created in 1942, when Prime Minister
John Curtin renamed the existing Department of Defence Co-ordination. The other defence-related departments underwent a series of reorganisations, before being merged into the primary department over the following decades. This culminated in the abolition of the three service departments in 1973. A new
Department of Defence Support was created in 1982, but abolished in 1984.[6]
In May 2022, the department was renamed Defence Australia.[7]
The Australian Department of Defence, along with the Australian state and other governments are known to fund the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a defence and strategic policy think tank based in
Canberra,
Australian Capital Territory.[8]
Defence Committee
The Defence Committee is the primary decision-making committee in the Department of Defence, supported by six subordinate committees, groups and boards. The Defence Committee is focused on major capability development and resource management for the
Australian Defence Organisation and shared accountability of the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force.[9]
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2022)
As of 2016[update] the Department of Defence consists of ten major organisational groups:[10]
Associate Secretary Group – provides administrative, legal and governance services including audit and fraud control, security and vetting, the
Judge Advocate General, and communications and ministerial support.
Chief Information Officer Group – leads the integrated design, cost effective delivery, and sustained operation of Defence information
Chief Finance Officer Group – to drive the financial and management improvement programs for Defence
Defence People Group – human resource outcomes across the Defence employment cycle from strategy and policy development, through to implementation and service delivery
Defence Estate and Infrastructure Group – consolidated service delivery organisation for Defence that enables Defence capability by working in partnership to deliver integrated services through a highly capable workforce
The Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF) is a senior public service officer and historically the appointees have not come from military service.
Appointment terminated by the
Governor-General on the recommendation of Prime Minister
Howard. Barratt fought the decision in the
Federal Court, losing on appeal.
^"Stop Press! Name Change" (Press release). 31 July 2015.
Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015. As part of the First Principles Review implementation, from 1 July 2015 the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has been renamed as the Defence Science and Technology Group.