On 31 October 2025, the Defence subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will hear from the Department of Defence for its inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2023–24.
The subcommittee will discuss the following topics with Defence:
- Uncrewed/Autonomous Systems and their integration into the Joint Force
- Progress on the transformation to an integrated focused force
- Australian international defence cooperation and competition
The Chair of the Defence subcommittee, Senator Deborah O’Neill, said ‘it is a good opportunity for the Defence subcommittee to hear from the Department of Defence on these matters.’
‘The Department of Defence often appears as a witness to Parliamentary Committees, providing a forum to scrutinise its activities and contribute to their mission in safeguarding the nation.’
‘The subcommittee is keen to support the Australian Defence Force as it embarks on a major transformation to meet the challenges of a changing security environment.’
Further information, including the full Terms of Reference, is available on the inquiry webpage.
Public hearing details
Date: Friday, 31 October 2025
Time: 1.00 pm–3.00 pm (AEDT)
Location: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.
Media enquiries
Senator Deborah O’Neill, Chair
Shane McLeod, Chief of Staff
[email protected]
For background information
Committee Secretariat
Ph: 02 6277 2313
[email protected]
For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.
