All releases

Ministerial Statement on Enhancing Australia-Japan Defence Cooperation

We, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia the Hon. Richard Marles MP, and Minister of Defense of Japan Koizumi Shinjiro, met in Canberra today for a Defence Ministers’ Meeting under the Australia-Japan Framework for Strategic Defence Coordination. We welcomed the continued…

Joint Press Conference, Canberra

Subjects: Australia-Japan relationship; US-South Korea

Successful trial of laser marks deepening of Australia-Japan defence collaboration

The Albanese Government has marked a significant milestone in Australia-Japan defence collaboration with successful field trials of a co-developed laser in South Australia. The Boobook project has broken new ground as the first co-development project between Australian and Japanese defence…

Opening Remarks, Australia-Japan Defence Ministers' Meeting

SUBJECTS: Australia-Japan relationship RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Shin, welcome. It is fantastic to see you here. I think this is the fourth time we've met this year, seventh time we've met within a year, and it speaks to the significance of the relationship that we have together,…

Opening of Solomon Islands Western Border Outpost facility

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, and Solomon Island’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Public Service, the Hon Francis Sade, officially opened the Western Border Outpost today in the Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands. The Western Border Outpost is a…

Joint Press Conference, Port Moresby

SUBJECTS: Australia-PNG Defence Relationship; Pukpuk Treaty.  ELIAS KAPAVORE, PNG MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Thank you everyone for coming. We again welcome the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, the Defence Minister. We just had a bilateral today. I commend His Excellency, the High Commissioner…

Australia and Papua New Guinea advance Pukpuk Treaty

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, and Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Defence, the Hon Elias Kapavore MP, met today in Port Moresby for their first ministerial meeting. During their discussions, Deputy Prime Minister Marles congratulated Minister Kapavore…

Travel to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will travel to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands from 16-17 August. In Papua New Guinea, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with the Hon James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.  Deputy Prime Minister Marles will also…

Television Interview, ABC Afternoon Briefing

SUBJECTS: Tomago smelter, US Defence briefing on AUKUS, UAS in restricted airspace. PATRICIA KARVELAS: For more on the Tomago smelter I want to bring in Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, whose electorate of Shortland is just south of the Tomago smelter, so this is good news for workers in…

2026 Updated Joint Vision Statement on Further Defence Cooperation Between the Department of Defence of Australia and the Ministry of National Defence of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

The Department of Defence of Australia and the Ministry of National Defence of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (hereafter referred to as “the Participants”) have mutually decided to issue this Updated Joint Vision Statement on Further Defence Cooperation. 

Strengthening defence and security ties with Vietnam

Australia and Vietnam have agreed to bolster defence and security cooperation to support our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the…

Radio interview, ABC Newcastle

SUBJECTS: Drone activity at Newcastle Airport; AUKUS.  JENNY MARCHANT, HOST:  Reports of drones flying over Williamtown RAAF Base might have caught your attention today. The Daily Telegraph was reporting that this happened over a couple of days last month. Defence has said to us it's…