The 2026 Defending Australia summit will bring together political, military and industry leaders to explore the central theme of “Readiness in the Age of Conflict”.
Live from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Skynews.com.au will stream coverage of the summit, including a keynote address from Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Mr Marles will also take part in a discussion on Australia’s defence and national security with The Australian’s chief international correspondent, Cameron Stewart.
In addition to the Defence Minister, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko, shadow defence minister James Paterson, former United States national security director Liza Tobin, who served under the Biden and Trump administrations, former defence department secretary Dennis Richardson, and Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro will also offer their insights.
Following Mr Marles’ address and a conversation with Ms Tobin, attendees will hear from the first of three panels – each covering a major topic affecting Australia’s defence and security.
The first will discuss the Iran war and its ongoing implications, the second will cover lessons from modern conflicts and how they could be applied to Australia and the third panel will detail strategies for building resilience in energy, manufacturing and supply chains.
Ms Finocchiaro will address the summit between the first and second panels.