Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to speak briefly today about the expansion of the RAAF base at Amberley. A couple of Fridays ago I had the privilege of being there and looking at the expansion that is taking place and talking to the personnel at the base. It is a superbase, actually, and its terrific stage 3 redevelopment is estimated to cost $331.5 million. As I said, it is a major military base in Queensland, particularly for Ipswich, and we really welcome it. The primary role of the base is to be the home base and to provide full operational maintenance support for the precision strike element of the Air Combat Group. It also supports the strategic lift capability and it has the C17s there. These are marvellous planes—they can take Leopard tanks in the back and about 500 personnel. I had the privilege during the election campaign to be there with the then shadow minister for defence and look at these marvellous machines. I am pleased that the previous government was involved in that process and that we are also expanding the air capability at the RAAF base at Amberley.

The stage 3 redevelopment will deliver essential facilities to support the population increase at the base. The redevelopment will include improved security and the relocation of residential, mess, recreational and support facilities at the base. I had a look at the live-in accommodation and it looks pretty good to me. I also had a look at the physical training centre, which will improve the physical fitness of personnel at the base. Mind you, I have played a lot of RAAF personnel in sporting fixtures over the years and, whether it is touch football, football or basketball, they are all pretty fit and I look forward to playing them in the future. It will be terrific. We will have tremendously fit personnel at the RAAF base at Amberley and they will participate in the sporting life of the community of Ipswich as well. I also look forward to trying out the new liquid dry breathing oxygen facility, which I think is going to be a fascinating activity for me in the future. I look forward to the member for Oxley coming and trying it out with me as well.

I want to also comment on the fact that we have the F111s at the RAAF base at Amberley and we have agreed to locate the Super Hornets there. As the federal member for Blair, I would like to say that the locals look forward to the Super Hornets being housed at the RAAF base at Amberley. We are very supportive of our defence families in the Ipswich and West Moreton area. We look forward to the investment by the Rudd government to develop the base there and the Australian Super Hornet facilities project. Like the F111s, which we in the local area affectionately call the flying pigs, the Super Hornets will make a significant contribution. The football team is called the Ipswich Jets and the basketball team is called the Ipswich Force, so the RAAF base at Amberley is dear to the heart of the people of the Ipswich and West Moreton community. I welcome the investment in the area. (Time expired)

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