Department of Defence (Australia)
Department overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 14 April 1942[1] |
Preceding department | |
Jurisdiction | Australia |
Headquarters | Canberra |
Employees | 16,272 (2020)[2] |
Annual budget | A$37.82 billion (2019–20)[3] |
Minister responsible | |
Department executive |
|
Child agencies | |
Website | defence |
Defence Australiais adepartmentof theGovernment of Australiacharged with the responsibility to defendAustraliaand its national interests.[4]Along with theAustralian Defence Force(ADF), it forms part of theAustralian Defence Organisation(ADO) and is accountable to theCommonwealth Parliament,on behalf of the Australian people, for the efficiency and effectiveness with which it carries out the Government's defence policy.
The head of the department, who leads it on a daily basis, is theSecretaryof the Department of Defence (SECDEF), currentlyGreg Moriarty.The Secretary reports to theMinister of Defence,Richard Marles.
History
[edit]Australia has had at least one defence-related government department sinceFederationin 1901.The first Department of Defenceexisted from 1901 until 1921. In 1915, during World War I, a separateDepartment of the Navywas created. The two departments merged in 1921 to formthe second Department of Defence,regarded as a separate body.[5]
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 – theDefence Co-ordination(for defence policy, financial, and administrative matters), three "service departments" (Army,Navy,andAir), theSupply and Development(for munitions and materiel), andCivil Aviation.[5]The current Department of Defence was formally created in 1942, when Prime MinisterJohn Curtinrenamed 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 newDepartment of Defence Supportwas 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 inCanberra,Australian Capital Territory.[8]
Defence Committee
[edit]TheDefence Committeeis 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 theAustralian Defence Organisationand shared accountability of the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force.[9]
The members of the Defence Committee are:
- Secretary of the Department of Defence(SECDEF)
- Chief of the Defence Force(CDF)
- Vice Chief of the Defence Force(VCDF)
- Associate Secretary
- Chief of Navy(CN)
- Chief of Army(CA)
- Chief of Air Force(CAF)
- Chief of Joint Operations(CJOPS)
- Deputy Secretary for Capability Acquisition and Sustainment
- Deputy Secretary for Strategic Policy and Intelligence
- Chief Defence Scientist(CDS)
- Chief of Joint Capabilities(CJC)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Chief Finance Officer (CFO)
- Deputy Secretary for People
- Deputy Secretary for Estate and Infrastructure
Organisational groups
[edit]![]() | This section needs to beupdated.(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, theJudge 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
- Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group(CASG) – Australia's largest project management organisation and its mission is to acquire and sustain equipment for the Australian Defence Force, created through the amalgamation of theCapability Development GroupandDefence Materiel Organisationin 2015.[11][12]
- 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
- Defence Science and Technology Group– lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend Australia and its national interests[13]
- Defence Strategic Policy and Intelligence Group– provides policy advice and coordination for strategy and intelligence for Defence, including overseeing theDefence Intelligence Organisation,Australian Signals Directorate,and theAustralian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation[14]
Diarchy
[edit]TheChief of the Defence Force(CDF) and theSecretary of the Department of Defence(SECDEF) jointly manage theAustralian Defence Organisation(ADO) under adiarchyin which both report directly to the Minister for Defence and the Assistant Minister for Defence. The ADO diarchy is a governance structure unique in theAustralian Public Service.
List of departmental secretaries
[edit]The Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF) is a senior public service officer and historically the appointees have not come from military service.
Name | Post-nominlal's | Date appointment commenced |
Date appointment ceased |
Term in office | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Captain Sir Muirhead Collins | KCMG,PVNF | 1901 | 1910 | 9 years, 0 days | Pethebridge was acting Secretary 1906–1910 | |
Brigadier General Sir Samuel Pethebridge | KCMG | 1910 | 1918 | 8 years, 0 days | Trumble was acting Secretary 1914–1918 | |
Thomas Trumble | CMG,CBE | 1918 | 1927 | 9 years, 0 days | ||
Malcolm Shepherd | CMG,ISO | 1927 | 1937 | 10 years, 0 days | ||
Sir Frederick Shedden | KCMG,OBE | 1937 | 1956 | 19 years, 301 days | ||
Sir Edwin Hicks | CBE | 28 October 1956 | 5 January 1968 | 11 years, 69 days | [15] | |
Sir Henry Bland | 1 May 1968 | 1970 | 1 year, 361 days | [16] | ||
Sir Arthur Tange | AC,CBE | March 1970 | August 1979 | 9 years, 92 days | [17] | |
Bill Pritchett | AO | August 1979 | 6 February 1984 | 4 years, 189 days | [18][19] | |
Sir William Cole | 6 February 1984 | 15 October 1986 | 2 years, 251 days | [19] | ||
Alan Woods | AC | December 1986 | 31 July 1988 | 1 year, 243 days | [19] | |
Tony Ayers | AC | 1 August 1988 | February 1998 | 9 years, 184 days | [19][20] | |
Paul Barratt | AO | February 1998 | 31 August 1999 | 1 year, 211 days | Appointment terminated by theGovernor-Generalon the recommendation of Prime MinisterHoward. Barratt fought the decision in theFederal Court,losing on appeal. |
[21][22] |
Dr Allan Hawke | AC | 21 October 1999 | 20 October 2002 | 2 years, 364 days | [19][23][24] | |
Ric Smith | AO,PSM | 11 November 2002 | 3 December 2006 | 4 years, 22 days | [19][24][25] | |
Nick Warner | AO,PSM | 4 December 2006 | 13 August 2009 | 2 years, 252 days | [19][25][26][27] | |
Dr Ian Watt | AO | 13 August 2009 | 5 September 2011 | 2 years, 23 days | [19][26][28] | |
Major General Duncan Lewis | AO,DSC,CSC | 5 September 2011 | 18 October 2012 | 1 year, 43 days | [19][28][29] | |
Dennis Richardson | AO | 18 October 2012 | 12 May 2017 | 4 years, 206 days | [29] | |
Greg Moriarty | 4 September 2017 | Incumbent | 6 years, 321 days | [30] |
See also
[edit]- Australian Defence Organisation
- Current senior Australian Defence Organisation personnel
- Minister for Defence
- Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
- Minister for Veterans' Affairs
- Minister for Defence Industry
- List of Australian Commonwealth Government entities
- Department of the Army (Australia)
- Department of the Navy (Australia)
- Department of Air (Australia)
- United States Department of Defense
- United Kingdom Ministry of Defence
- Canadian Department of National Defence
- New Zealand Ministry of Defence
References
[edit]- ^CA 46: Department of Defence [III], Central Office,National Archives of Australia,retrieved9 February2021
- ^Macmillan, Jade; Greene, Andrew (30 June 2020)."Australia to spend $270b building larger military to prepare for 'poorer, more dangerous' world and rise of China".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"Portfolio Budget Statements 2019-20, Budget Related Paper No. 1.4A"(PDF).Department of Defence.2019.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"Defence Leaders: Senior Managers".Department of Defence.Commonwealth of Australia.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^ab"Defence: Administrative History".National Archives of Australia.Retrieved3 April2019.
- ^"Department of Defence [III]".National Archives of Australia.Retrieved3 April2019.
- ^"Federal department rebrands as Defence Australia".The Canberra Times.
- ^"Australian Strategic Policy Institute Limited Annual Report 2018-2019".transparency.gov.au.Retrieved31 March2023.
- ^"Who we are and what we do".Australian Government Department of Defence.Retrieved7 August2017.
- ^"Groups: About us".Department of Defence.Australian Government.Retrieved6 January2016.
- ^Peever, David (April 2015)."First Principles Review: Creating One Defence"(PDF).Retrieved1 June2015.
- ^"Fact Sheet: Smaller Government: Defence Materiel Organisation: Reintegration into the Department of Defence"(MS Word).Department of Defence, Australian Government. May 2015.
- ^"Stop Press! Name Change"(Press release). 31 July 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 19 September 2015.Retrieved9 December2015.
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.
- ^Intelligence and Security GroupArchived12 September 2011 at theWayback Machine,Australian Government Directory
- ^Farquharson, John(2007)."Hicks, Sir Edwin William (Ted) (1910–1984)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.National Centre of Biography,Australian National University.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Farquharson, John."Bland, Sir Henry (Harry) (1909–1997)".Obituaries Australia.National Centre of Biography,Australian National University.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^James, Lieutenant Colonel Neil (May 2000).Reform of the Defence Management Paradigm: A Fresh View(PDF).Working Paper Series.Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.p. 40.ISBN0-7317-0441-X.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^NLA Catalogue
- ^abcdefghiJennings, Peter;Channer, Hayley (October 2012)."Look Behind You, Mr Richardson".The Strategist.Australian Strategic Policy Institute.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Hawke, Bob(2 June 1988)."For the media".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 10 November 2013.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Colvin, Mark;Reynolds, Fiona (31 August 1999)."Barratt sacked"(transcript).PM.Australia.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Colvin, Mark;Reynolds, Fiona (10 March 2000)."Barrett loses appeal against dismissal"(transcript).PM.Australia.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Howard, John(21 October 1999)."New Secretary to the Department of Defence".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^abFarnsworth, Malcolm (25 September 2002)."Defence Department Head Removed By Government".australianpolitics.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^abHoward, John(2 November 2006)."Secretary – Department of Defence".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 10 November 2013.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^abRudd, Kevin(13 August 2009)."Departmental secretaries and statutory office-holders, Canberra".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 10 November 2013.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Keane, Bernard (30 March 2009)."Defence is simply too big for Nick Warner".Crikey.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^abGillard, Julia(4 August 2011)."Departmental Secretaries".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 1 November 2013.Retrieved29 October2013.
- ^abGillard, Julia(17 September 2012)."Diplomatic Appointment and Appointment of Secretaries of the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2014.Retrieved27 October2013.
- ^Turnbull, Malcolm(28 July 2017)."Secretary of the Department of Defence".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(Press release).Commonwealth of Australia.Retrieved28 July2017.
External links
[edit]- Department of Defence website
- "Defence Organisational Structure Chart"(PDF).Department of Defence.Commonwealth of Australia. 21 September 2015.
- "Defence Senior Leaders".Department of Defence. 2016.
- "Dennis Richardson AO".Biography of the Secretary of the Department of Defence.Department of Defence. 2016.