Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the fourth report for 2008 of the committee relating to the proposed referrals tabled March 2008.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

by leave—This report comprises some seven referrals of works, totalling over $1 billion, to be undertaken by the Department of Defence. A good number of these works involve upgrades to existing defence facilities where those facilities have become tired and are in need of replacement or refit for various reasons—usually age. Also, a significant number of proposals which we are approving in this report go to a number of increases in the operational capability of the defence forces—things like the Hardened and Networked Army initiative, purchase of the multi-role helicopters and the new facilities needed at a number of bases to deal with those new helicopters.

The report addresses seven referrals made to the committee in March 2008, namely: facilities for the Hardened and Networked Army at Edinburgh Defence Precinct, South Australia, at an estimated $623.68 million; upgrades at RAAF Base Darwin, at an estimated $49.83 million; developments at Robertson Barracks, Darwin, at an estimated $72.12 million; RAAF Tindal redevelopments at an estimated $58.7 million; airborne early warning and control facilities at RAAF Tindal at an estimated $64.2 million; multi-role helicopter facilities at Nowra, Townsville, Oakey, Enoggera and Sydney at an estimated $168.7 million; and developments at Enoggera Base in Brisbane at an estimated $80.2 million.

The committee has reported on an exception-only basis on issues that it thought warranted further comment and in some cases has recommended further action. However, many more issues were raised at the public hearings, and I would urge those interested in any of these works to supplement the report with the transcripts and submissions that are available on the committee’s website. In all cases, the committee has recommended that the House resolve that the works be carried out. For three of the seven works, the committee has made some additional recommendations. In the case of the Edinburgh Defence Precinct development, the committee has recommended that the Minister for Defence progress land acquisition negotiations as a matter of priority. The land in question will enhance the Army’s training capacity, and any expenditure on temporary facilities whilst awaiting this acquisition would be wasted.

Secondly, the committee has made a general recommendation that Australian government contracts for major capital infrastructure developments include a requirement for the provision of employment and training opportunities for the local community. The committee considers that Commonwealth agencies delivering capital works projects have an obligation to contribute to the local community by ensuring these opportunities are provided.

The concerns of the local community were also raised in the inquiry into developments at Robertson Barracks in Darwin. Local residents expressed concern about the impact of base traffic on local roads. Although this is the responsibility of the local government, the Department of Defence indicated that it was keen to resolve the concerns of residents and thus the committee has recommended that Defence facilitate a resolution to this issue.

Finally, the multi-role helicopter facilities project highlighted concerns about residential housing development encroaching on Defence establishments and the resulting restrictions that this places on Defence activities. The committee has recommended that the government negotiate with relevant state, territory and local governments to develop protocols to manage development on land surrounding Defence establishments. While the committee understands that residential land is at a premium, it does not want essential Defence activities to be retrospectively curtailed.

I would like to thank the committee for its work in relation to these inquiries. The committee was aware that several of these projects had been delayed due to the prorogation of the 41st Parliament, so we went to great lengths to ensure that they were completed by this sitting period. I commend the report to the House.

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