About Defence
DisclosuresDefence Disclosures
This Defence disclosures page contains details of lists and registers that Defence is required to hold by law and others relate to the function of the agency.
Freedom of Information disclosure log 
The Defence Freedom of Information disclosure log lists our responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 from 1 May 2011.
Public Interest Certificates
A public interest certificate (PIC) is a document issued by the Secretary of Defence (or their Delegate) in accordance with section 22 of the Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (the JR Act). Defence maintains a list of current PICs.
Information routinely provided to Parliament
Defence routinely provides information to Parliament in the form of answers to Questions on Notice, and in briefs and submissions. This page provides links to that information. Defence will link to responses to the current Parliament as the responses become available.
Indexed list of departmental files (Harradine Report)
On the 14 November 1994, the Senate agreed to a motion by Senator Harradine requiring all Australian Government Government departments and agencies to produce an indexed list of files every six months for tabling before Parliament. The production of the list is intended to make the operations of government more transparent to the Australian public.
As part of the Government's continuing commitment to giving Australians greater access to relevant government information quickly and easily, the original Continuing Senate Order was amended in 1998 and now requires departments to also list these files on their internet websites.
The Continuing Order allows for the following exclusions to be made from the list.
- File titles are case related (e.g. personal representations or dealings with the personal affairs of policy departments or tax payers);
- File titles that are related to the internal administration of the department or agency;
- File titles containing commercial confidential or identifiably personal information; and
- File titles that on face value, disclose that a particular matter had been put out, or was to be put to the Cabinet.
Defence contracts over $100,000
Australian Government agencies are subject to a number of specific requirements, which support internal and external scrutiny of tendering and contracting processes.
These include the requirement to:
- publish details of agency agreements, Commonwealth contracts and standing offers with an estimated liability of $10,000 or more on AusTender; and
- report contracts valued at $100,000 or more [PDF 1MB] and identify confidentiality requirements in accordance with the Senate Order on Department and Agency Contracts. This link is from the 2009-10 Defence Annual Report.
AusTender is the Australian Government Electronic Tender System. It allows Australian Government agencies to make tender documentation available from a central website. Suppliers can search/browse and download all the relevant information rather than having to request information to be sent to them. Suppliers can also request to be automatically notified about tenders of interest to their business.
Grants reporting
As per the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017, from 1 December 2017, Defence grant opportunities and grants awarded are reported on GrantConnect. GrantsConnect can be accessed at www.grants.gov.au
Gift and benefit reporting
On 18 October 2019, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) issued guidance for reporting gifts and benefits accepted (and retained for personal use) by agency heads and their immediate families.
Defence welcomes the APSC guidance as it promotes integrity, transparency and accountability. The Secretary of Defence has extended this public reporting to include all Defence officials from the quarter ended 31 March 2020.
Defence Gifts and Benefits Register [PDF 40KB]
