The ''Defence Act 1903'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, that acquired royal assent on 22 October 1903. It was created to allow for the naval and military defence of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The Act was amended and expanded over time, to legislate for in 1911 and then repeal

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

in 1929, bring it back in 1939, and finally abolish it in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

; to incorporate the Naval Defence Act 1910 and the Air Force Act 1923, and today governs how the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

operates.

Background

On 1 January 1901, the

federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

of the Australian Colonies to form the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of , making it the sixth-largest country in ...

was proclaimed, with the newly in force

Constitution of Australia The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...

requiring that the colonial military forces be combined under the Commonwealth.

Act

Original

The Act, as originally made, consisted of 11 parts, 124 sections, and 3 schedules.

Current

As of May 2024, the Act is divided into 25 parts, approximately 384 sections, and 1 schedule.

Administration

Part II and Part III's Division 1 covers the administrative aspects of the defence force. The rest of part III covers the requirements of service, including reservist service, and remuneration. Part IV deals with the citizenry's liability to serve within the defence forces, while part V covers the Australian Defence Force Cadets. Part VI charges the Governor–General with special powers. Part VII to IX deal with disputes and offences committed under the Act.

Amendments

References

{{Reflist Acts of the Parliament of Australia Australian defence policies