Defence Act 1903

Defence Act 1903
Parliament of Australia
  • An Act to provide for the Naval and Military Defence and Protection of the Commonwealth and of the several States
CitationNo. 20 of 1903 as amended
Territorial extentStates and territories of Australia
Royal assent22 October 1903
Commenced1 March 1904
Status: In force

The Defence Act 1903 (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, that acquired royal assent on 22 October 1903.[1] It was created to allow for the naval and military defence of Australia. The Act was amended and expanded over time, to legislate for in 1911 and then repeal conscription in 1929, bring it back in 1939, and finally abolish it in 1972;[2] to incorporate the Naval Defence Act 1910 and the Air Force Act 1923, and today governs how the Australian Defence Force operates.

  1. ^ "Defence Act 1903". Federal Register of Legislation. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ Conscription. Treloar Crescent Campbell ACT Australia: Australian War Memorial. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.