Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to wholeheartedly thank the men and women of the ADF for their role in assisting the community during the COVID pandemic, in particular the local personnel based at the Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera in my electorate of Ryan. As part of Operation COVID-19 ASSIST, 2,200 ADF personnel have been supporting the government's response to COVID, with 800 still on the ground right now. Around Easter, over 620 ADF personnel were supporting tasks requested by the Queensland government. They undertook vital work in planning support, contact tracing and quarantine assistance as well as supporting the Queensland Police Service in protecting our vulnerable Indigenous communities.

The majority of the support to Queensland was organised through 7th Brigade, located at the Gallipoli Army base in Enoggera in the electorate of Ryan. Also based at the Gallipoli Barracks was the 20th Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery, usually the Army's surveillance and target acquisition specialists, but in May the 20th Regiment used its 3D printing hardware to rapidly produce face shields for medical staff in Brisbane. The initiative boosted the supply of PPE gear in Queensland and also demonstrated the ingenuity of our ADF personnel.

Helping protect Queenslanders from COVID was a unique challenge, but once again the local men and women of the ADF have risen magnificently to the occasion. On behalf of our community, thank you so much again to these service personnel from Gallipoli Barracks at Enoggera for helping to save the lives and livelihoods of Queenslanders during COVID.