Minister for Defence (Australia)

The current Minister for Defence of Australia is Joel Fitzgibbon. He administers his porfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence (Australia) and the Australian Defence Force.

Ministers for Defence

There was a Minister for Defence from 1 January 1901 until 13 November 1939. Robert Menzies, the Prime Minister, abolished the position on the outbreak of World War II and created separate Ministers for the Navy, the Army and the Air, with himself as Minister for Defence Coordination in his first ministry. He retained this position until the fall of his government, and then held the post in the brief government of Arthur Fadden. John Curtin initially followed the same arrangement as Menzies in his ministry until 14 April 1942, when he took the title of Minister for Defence. The separate titles of Ministers for the Navy, the Army and the Air were abolished in the second Whitlam Ministry on 30 November 1973, when the separate departments of Navy, Army and Air were also abolished. There had also been a separate Navy portfolio between 1915 and 1921. Since 1982, from time to time there have been ministers outside cabinet supporting the Minister for Defence. For example, there is currently a Minister for Defence Science and Personnel (Warren Snowdon).

Order	Minister	Party affiliation	Period
1	James Dickson	Protectionist Party	1901
2	John Forrest	Protectionist Party	1901
3	James Drake	Protectionist Party	1901-1903
4	Austin Chapman	Protectionist Party	1903-1904
5	Anderson Dawson	Australian Labor Party	1904
6	James McCay	Protectionist Party	1904-1905
7	Thomas Playford	Protectionist Party	1905-1907
8	Thomas Ewing	Protectionist Party	1907-1908
9	George Pearce	Australian Labor Party	1908-1909
10	Joseph Cook	Protectionist Party	1909-1910
11	George Pearce	Australian Labor Party	1910-1913
12	Edward Millen	Commonwealth Liberal Party	1913-1914
13	George Pearce	Australian Labor Party/Nationalist Party of Australia	1914-1921
14	Walter Massy-Greene	Nationalist Party of Australia	1921-1923
15	Eric Bowden	Nationalist Party of Australia	1923-1925
16	Neville Howse	Nationalist Party of Australia	1925-1927
17	Thomas William Glasgow	Nationalist Party of Australia	1927-1929
18	Albert Green	Australian Labor Party	1929-1931
19	John Daly	Australian Labor Party	1931
20	Ben Chifley	Australian Labor Party	1931-1932
21	George Pearce	United Australia Party	1932-1934
22	Archdale Parkhill	United Australia Party	1934-1937
23	Joseph Lyons	United Australia Party	1937
24	Harold Thorby	Country Party	1937-1938
25	Geoffrey Street	United Australia Party	1938-1939
*	Robert Menzies	United Australia Party	1939-1941
*	John Curtin	Australian Labor Party	1941-1942
26	John Curtin	Australian Labor Party	1942-1945
27	Jack Beasley	Australian Labor Party	1945-1946
28	Frank Forde	Australian Labor Party	1946
29	John Dedman	Australian Labor Party	1946-1949
30	Eric Harrison	Liberal Party of Australia	1949-1950
31	Philip McBride	Liberal Party of Australia	1950-1958
32	Athol Townley	Liberal Party of Australia	1958-1963
33	Paul Hasluck	Liberal Party of Australia	1963-1964
34	Shane Paltridge	Liberal Party of Australia	1964-1966
35	Allen Fairhall	Liberal Party of Australia	1966-1969
36	Malcolm Fraser	Liberal Party of Australia	1969-1971
37	John Gorton	Liberal Party of Australia	1971
38	David Fairbairn	Liberal Party of Australia	1971-1972
39	Lance Barnard	Australian Labor Party	1972-1975
40	William Morrison	Australian Labor Party	1975
41	Jim Killen	Liberal Party of Australia	1975-1982
42	Ian Sinclair	National Party of Australia	1982-1983
43	Gordon Scholes	Australian Labor Party	1983-1984
44	Kim Beazley	Australian Labor Party	1984-1990
45	Robert Ray	Australian Labor Party	1990-1996
46	Ian McLachlan	Liberal Party of Australia	1996-1998
47	John Moore	Liberal Party of Australia	1998-2001
48	Peter Reith	Liberal Party of Australia	2001
49	Robert Hill	Liberal Party of Australia	2001-2006
50	Brendan Nelson	Liberal Party of Australia	2006-2007
51	Joel Fitzgibbon	Australian Labor Party	2007-

* Minister for Defence Coordination.

Ministers for Air

Minister	Party affiliation	Period
James Fairbairn	United Australia Party	1939–1940
Arthur Fadden	United Australia Party	1940
John McEwen	Country Party	1940–1941
Arthur Drakeford	Australian Labor Party	1941–1949
Thomas White	Liberal Party	1949–1949
Philip McBride	Liberal Party	1951
William McMahon	Liberal Party	1951–1954
Athol Townley	Liberal Party	1954–1956
Frederick Osborne	Liberal Party	1956–1960
Harrie Wade	Liberal Party	1960–1961
Les Bury	Liberal Party	1961–1962
David Fairbairn	Liberal Party	1962–1964
Peter Howson	Liberal Party	1964–1968
Gordon Freeth	Liberal Party	1968–1969
Dudley Erwin	Liberal Party	1969
Thomas Drake-Brockman	Liberal Party	1969–1972
Lance Barnard	Australian Labor Party	1972–1973

Ministers for the Army

Minister	Party affiliation	Period
Geoffrey Street	United Australia Party	1939–1940
Philip McBride	United Australia Party	1940
Percy Spender	United Australia Party	1940–1941
Frank Forde	Australian Labor Party	1941–1946
Cyril Chambers	Australian Labor Party	1946–1949
Josiah Francis	Liberal Party	1949–1955
Eric Harrison	Liberal Party	1955–1956
John Cramer	Liberal Party	1956–1963
Jim Forbes	Liberal Party	1963–1966
Malcolm Fraser	Liberal Party	1966–1968
Phillip Lynch	Liberal Party	1968–1969
Andrew Peacock	Liberal Party	1969–1972
Bob Katter	Country Party	1972
Lance Barnard	Australian Labor Party	1972–1973

Ministers for the Navy

Minister	Party affiliation	Period
Jens Jensen	Australian Labor Party	1915–1916
Jens Jensen	National Labor Party	1916–1917
Joseph Cook	Nationalist Party of Australia	1917–1920
William Laird Smith	Nationalist Party of Australia	1920–1921
Frederick Stewart	United Australia Party	1939–1940
Archie Cameron	United Australia Party	1940
Billy Hughes	United Australia Party	1940–1941
Norman Makin	Australian Labor Party	1941–1946
Arthur Drakeford	Australian Labor Party	1946
Bill Riordan	Australian Labor Party	1946–1949
Josiah Francis	Liberal Party	1949–1951
Philip McBride	Liberal Party	1951
William McMahon	Liberal Party	1951–1954
Josiah Francis	Liberal Party	1954–1955
Eric Harrison	Liberal Party	1955–1956
Neil O'Sullivan	Liberal Party	1956
Charles Davidson	Liberal Party	1956–1958
John Gorton	Liberal Party	1958–1963
James Forbes	Liberal Party	1963–1964
Fred Chaney	Liberal Party	1964–1966
Don Chipp	Liberal Party	1966–1968
Bert Kelly	Liberal Party	1968–1969
James Killen	Liberal Party	1969–1971
Malcolm Mackay	Liberal Party	1971–1972
Lance Barnard	Australian Labor Party	1972–1973

Ministers for Supply

Minister	Party affiliation	Period	Ministerial Title
Richard Casey	United Australia Party	1939–1940	Minister for Supply and Development
Frederick Stewart	United Australia Party	1940
Philip McBride	United Australia Party	1940–1941
George McLeay	United Australia Party	1941
Jack Beasley	Australian Labor Party	1941–1942
Jack Beasley	Australian Labor Party	1942–1945	Minister for Supply and Shipping
William Ashley	Australian Labor Party	1945–1948
John Armstrong	Australian Labor Party	1948–1949	Minister for Supply and Development
Richard Casey	Liberal Party	1949–1950
Howard Beale	Liberal Party	1950–1958	Minister for Supply
Athol Townley	Liberal Party	1958
Alan Hulme	Liberal Party	1958–1961
Allen Fairhall	Liberal Party	1961–1966
Denham Henty	Liberal Party	1966–1968
Kenneth Anderson	Liberal Party	1968–1971
Victor Garland	Liberal Party	1971–1972
Lance Barnard	Australian Labor Party	1972–1973
Kep Enderby	Australian Labor Party	1973–1974

Ministers for Munitions

Minister	Party affiliation	Period
Robert Menzies	United Australia Party	1940
Philip McBride	United Australia Party	1940–1941
Norman Makin	Australian Labor Party	1941–1946
John Dedman	Australian Labor Party	1946
John Armstrong	Australian Labor Party	1946–1948

Ministers for defence production

Minister	Party affiliation	Period	Ministerial Title
John Leckie	United Australia Party	1941	Minister for Aircraft Production
Donald Cameron	Australian Labor Party	1941–1945
Norman Makin	Australian Labor Party	1945–1946
John Dedman	Australian Labor Party	1946
Eric Harrison	Liberal Party	1951–1956	Minister for Defence Production
Howard Beale	Liberal Party	1956–1958
Athol Townley	Liberal Party	1958