Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak today on this matter of public importance, especially on the day of the unveiling of the Turnbull government's defence white paper. This is, indeed, a hallmark day in Australia's defence history. We know that the defence white paper is more than just the Turnbull government delivering on an election promise. Indeed, it is much more than that. It will set out Australia's long-term plan to keep the country safe and secure. Needless to say, this is something which those opposite will never understand. They had many years to deliver, many years to understand what was needed and they never did it. So that is probably the reason why they are very quiet today.

I am in a good mood today and I do not want to get off to a bad start. I want to tell you why I am excited. My electorate is going to have a raft of improvements to infrastructure. To my constituents, you need to know that you will be better looked after following the release of this defence white paper and that the north-west of Australia will never be better resourced. This is why I am excited. The Royal Australian Air Force's Curtin air base in Derby and the Learmonth air base in Exmouth will be upgraded to support the RAAF's new strike and air combat capabilities, such as the new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the KC-30A air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The upgrades to these investments are around $190 million to the RAAF Curtin airbase by 2025, with an additional $30 million in the decade between 2025 and 2035. There will also be an investment of around $190 million in improving the RAAF Learmonth air base—which is at Exmouth, for those who are interested—up to 2025 and an additional $200 million in the decade between 2026 and 2035. This is fantastic news for the communities of Derby and Exmouth, as these towns have been waiting for increased defence spending for longer than I care to recall. It is a fantastic investment. Derby Shire President Elsia Archer and Exmouth Shire President Turk Shales are both, as you would imagine, over the moon. They warmly welcomed the news that I could personally share with them earlier today.

The additional funding does not end there for Exmouth. The Harold E Holt communication facility in the town will be upgraded to support very important enhanced space situational awareness and communication capabilities, involving about $200 million in planned investment out to 2025 and a further $30 million by 2035. As they say, wait and there is just a little bit more good news. North of Derby, there is a plan to undergo redevelopment of the Yampi Sound Training Area facility in the decade up to 2025, representing an investment of around $60 million, with a further planned reinvestment costing around $20 million in the decade from 2025 to 2035. This government's defence white paper will drive jobs and innovation in our country for many decades to come, just the same as the Industry Skills Fund is doing through the four grants allocated through my vast electorate of Durack. Science and innovation are the future of Australia and Australian jobs, and this is why I am very proud of the Turnbull government's record $9 billion investment in science and research.

We have heard a lot about what Labor would do, but what did they do when they were running the show? We know that when Labor were in office they cut a massive $1.35 billion from their own policy, which was encouraging students to take up maths and science—shame on you. That is right; Labor cut over $1.3 billion from their own maths and science education policy.

Talking more about education, this government is increasing funding to Western Australian schools by $619 million over the next four years, which is a massive 42 per cent increase.

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