The Hon Richard Marles MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Defence

The Hon Matt Keogh MP
Minister for Defence Personnel
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs

With Luke Gosling MP, Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia

Today we remember those who lost their lives in the 1942 Bombing of Darwin and honour the service men and women who leapt to action to defend Australia’s north.

On this day, 83 years ago, Darwin faced a devastating aerial assault by Japanese forces, the first foreign attack on home soil in the Second World War.

In two separate raids, some 240 Japanese aircraft targeted the town, killing more than 250 allied military personnel, merchant mariners and civilians in the process.

These initial attacks were the beginning of a concerted bombing campaign across northern Australia, with nearly 100 air raids hitting Darwin, Broome, Townsville, Katherine, and many more towns.

As we do every year, we pause to commemorate those who were impacted by the bombings in Darwin and across the north, their lives forever changed in the process, and we acknowledge the service and sacrifice of those who fought to protect Australia with unwavering determination.

Lest we forget.