Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the report Report 3/2018, Referrals made May 2018, of August 2018.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's third report for this year.

The report considers two proposals referred to the committee, one in May, from the Department of Defence, that proposal being the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Capability Facilities Project.

The project is part of the wider LAND 21-10 Phase 1B capability project. LAND 21-10 is a multiphase project providing the Australian Defence Force with improved defence against chemical and other weapons, to ensure that it can operate in current and future threat environments.

The project aims to support the protection of ADF personnel by providing mask testing and storage facilities across no less than 14 sites across the country and refurbishing, also, existing facilities.

The estimated cost of the project is $16.67 million, excluding GST.

The second proposal is the Jindalee Operational Radar Network Phase 6 Facilities Project.

The Jindalee Operational Radar Network or JORN is Australia's first comprehensive land and air early warning system. It provides 24-hour military surveillance of the northern and western approaches to Australia, while also assisting in the detection of illegal entry, smuggling and unlicensed fishing. It is a high frequency, skywave over-the-horizon radar.

JORN Phase 6 is a project to update facilities to maximise efficiencies, providing increased capability that has arisen from advancements in innovation and technology, and supporting the changing operational model of the radar 3 site at Alice Springs.

The estimated cost of that project is $50.7 million, excluding GST.

The committee has recommended that these two projects should proceed.

Mr Speaker, I will keep my comments brief and commend both of those to the House on behalf of Public Works.

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