Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will not.

Our white paper's Integrated Investment Program will deliver substantial benefits for Central Queensland, including these points. The Shoalwater Bay training area will be upgraded to support a range of new land combat and amphibious warfare capabilities over the next decade to 2025-26, representing an investment of up to $150 million. An additional investment of around $40 million is planned for the decade between 2025-26 and 2035-36. And new facilities at the Shoalwater Bay training area will support the introduction of new armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aircraft in the early 2020s.

The investments outlined in the Turnbull government's 2016 defence white paper will strengthen our Defence Force and provide a welcome boost to the economy of Capricornia. They are likely to create contracts for local supply businesses and raise the prospect of raising new jobs.

Defence employs over 70 people in Capricornia and joint defence exercises conducted at the Shoalwater Bay training area bring thousands of personnel, and millions of dollars in local spending to the Rockhampton-Livingstone economy. This has significant flow-on effects for the local economy and our local businesses.

Meanwhile, I have had brief discussions with both the federal Defence Minister, Marise Payne, and Assistant Defence Minister, Michael McCormack, about other military proposals in the Rockhampton area, including a push to base a contingent of military warfare vehicles at Shoalwater Bay permanently. This would allow additional military families to be based in Rockhampton, which helps to diversify the city's workforce and is good for business. (Time expired)

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