Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia. Will the minister please update the House on the government's commitment to strengthen Australia's defence presence in northern Australia? How will the government's defence white paper and defence industry policy statement provide jobs, opportunities and security for the people of northern Australia, including in my electorate of Herbert and city of Townsville?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Herbert for his question. I acknowledge that his electorate is home to Australia's largest army base and he has been a staunch advocate for the ADF, both in Townsville and beyond.

Last week, the Prime Minister, the defence minister, the Minister for Defence Materiel and the assistant defence minister released the defence white paper, which included an additional $30 billion worth of defence spending and a host of new initiatives, particularly focusing on innovation, including a new centre for defence industry capability. While all Australians were great beneficiaries of the new white paper, it was particularly so for northern Australia, because it is incredibly important, from a geostrategic sense, to Australia's defence outlook.

In Queensland, the Shoalwater Bay training area, in the seat of Capricornia, will receive an investment of up to $150 million over the next decade to upgrade its facilities. The accommodation facilities at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, in the member for Herbert's electorate, will receive an investment of around $50 million over the next decade and hundreds of millions after that. RAAF Base Townsville will receive an additional $100 million, with investment to support the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighter. For RAAF Base Scherger, additional wharf space in Weipa and support facilities in Cairns, both in the electorate of Leichhardt, will also receive further investment.

In Western Australia, the Harold E Holt communications facility in Exmouth will receive around $200 million in investment, and the RAAF bases in Derby and Exmouth, all in the member for Durack's electorate, will be upgraded to support new air combat capabilities.

In the Northern Territory, the electorate of Solomon will get a huge benefit. HMAS Coonawarra and the Larrakeyah Barracks will together receive $1.2 billion in additional investment in infrastructure upgrades. As well, there will be a substantial investment in RAAF Base Darwin. RAAF Base Tindal, in the member for Lingiari's electorate, will be upgraded as well, to support aircraft.

The defence white paper is a historic document. It provides Australia with the strategy, the assets and the innovation to advance our interests in a complex world. Northern Australia is a big beneficiary of this, because the white paper underlines its geostrategic importance to our defence outlook.