Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC has been the Minister for Defence since March 2019. 

Senator Reynolds was elected to the Australian Senate in 2014 and is a passionate representative for her state of Western Australia. She has more than 20 years’ experience at the national political level working for Members of Parliament and the Liberal Party of Australia. Senator Reynolds also served for 29 years in the Australian Army as a Reserve Officer in a wide range of part and full time appointments.

Key career appointments include: Chief of Staff to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Project Director with Raytheon Australia, Deputy Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, Commanding Officer of a Combat Service Support Battalion and Adjutant General of Army, the Chief of Army’s key governance advisor. Senator Reynolds was the first woman in the Australian Army Reserves to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross. She has completed a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies).

In March 2019, Senator Reynolds was sworn in as Minister for Defence Industry, Emergency Management and North Queensland Recovery in the Morrison Coalition Government. This follows her appointment as Assistant Minister for Home Affairs on August 28, 2018.

Before her Ministerial appointment, Senator Reynolds was a member of nine Parliamentary committees and chaired the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, and the Defence Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade.

Senator Reynolds is co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Defence, Friends of Australian Books and Writers, Friends of Disability and the Australia-Indonesia Parliamentary Friendship Groups. She is a passionate advocate for WA Industry including defence, space and rare earths sectors. Senator Reynolds is also a supporter of innovation, gender equality and federation reform.