Sir David Eric Fairbairn, was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1975. He held ministerial office as Minister for Air (1962–1964), National Development (1964–1969), Education and Science (1971), and Defence (1971–1972).

The minister for Defence, also known as the Defence minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the organisation, implementation, and formulation of strategic policy in defence and military matters as the head of the Department of Defence. The Defence minister directs the government’s approach to the Australian Defence Organisation and the Australian Defence Force. The current Defence minister is Richard Marles, who is concurrently serving as deputy prime minister of Australia, he was selected by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May 2022 following the 2022 Australian federal election.