Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I would like to make three quick points. It is important to put these points on the public record. First of all, under the chairmanship of the member for Port Adelaide, the Public Works Committee has been functioning extraordinarily well. We all work together in a completely bipartisan way and deal expeditiously with the matters brought before us. In these matters, which are all to do with Defence, Brigadier Bill Grice and his team are working in an outstanding way to make sure that the evidence is presented to the committee in a proper way and the committee can be satisfied that the proposed works are good value for the Commonwealth of Australia. I congratulate Bill Grice and his team.

I have two comments on the report. First of all I want to comment on a matter alluded to by the member for Port Adelaide—that is, the report on the Edinburgh Defence Precinct. Some of the land that is required for this particular project was sold. Our report says:

Although initial planning for this project began in 2005, it was not factored into land sales and the Commonwealth is now facing the additional cost of buying back this land.

The Minister for Defence calls it a hiccup. But it is not a hiccup; it is more than that. The land was sold under the previous government. My point is that it is time to stop selling Defence land without thinking about the future. For example, the open space at Randwick Barracks must not be sold. Warradale, Hampstead and Keswick Barracks in Adelaide must not be sold. They must be kept for Defence purposes. You find these examples across the Commonwealth of Australia, and I want to alert the parliament that I will certainly be advocating that Defence land not be sold, with an eye to what might be required in the future.

My final point—and you would expect me to cover this—is in relation to Townsville. In this report we recommend the spending of multimillions of dollars at 5th Aviation Regiment in Townsville to look after B Squadron with 10 new MRH90 medium lift troop helicopters. Works will involve modifying the B Squadron aircraft shelters, extending the mission planning facility, building a new simulator building, upgrading the technical support troop facility, upgrading the technical support squadron aircraft life support equipment workshop and providing a new forward repair troop and draft priority 1 store building. In addition to this, and through a separate arrangement, a multimillion dollar simulator will be built. This will provide the opportunity for a new aerospace industry to develop in Townsville, and for that reason I certainly commend this report to the House.