Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This evening I rise to speak about two matters that I was involved in recently as a member on the Defence subcommittee, the first being the Talisman Saber Exercise 20009. Along with Senator Mark Bishop; Allan Griffin, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs; Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, Chief of Army; Russ Crane, Chief of Navy; and other Defence personnel, I was involved in seeing this years biannual Talisman Saber Exercise at Shoalwater Bay, which is north of Rockhampton in Queensland. This was a great opportunity to witness firsthand the collaboration between the two joint forces in exchanging operational readiness and capabilities on the land, air and sea.

TS09 is based on operational-level war fighting, where training is on fictional scenarios. Field activity occurred between 13 July and 26 July in the Coral Sea, Townsville Field Training Area, Bradshaw Northern Territory and Shoalwater Bay. Additionally, ADF and US aircraft also flew in support of the exercise from RAAF bases at Darwin, Tindal, Townsville and Amberley. As well as activities coordinated by senior Defence officers on the ground at Shoalwater Bay, the responsibility for the combined force land component in Shoalwater Bay rests with those based at the caves north of Rockhampton. Our complement to the exercise involved some 6,500 troops from the Air Force, Navy and Army, whereas the US provided some 16,000 personnel.

Arriving on Sunday, 19 July, we were treated to a complete briefing of the following day’s events at the camp in Rockhampton. This was followed up with an evening reception hosted by Brigadier Creagh and Colonel Merrill. At 0630 hours the next morning we were collected from our accommodation and taken to the Rockhampton base for a traditional breakfast. This was a good experience and a necessary event to fuel us for the long day ahead. I was fortunate enough to catch up with some of the RAAF Amberley Defence officers and personnel whom I had spent time with during my period on the ADF parliamentary program in May this year.

Following breakfast we met at the Rockhampton Airport to board the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters to fly over Rockhampton and out to sea to board the USS Essex. These aircraft have been used since the Vietnam War and provide capacity for supplies, equipment and up to 23 troops to be transported. Flying over Rockhampton city and the beautiful coastline of Yeppoon and then onto the Pacific Ocean to board the USS Essex was an experience to behold.

We landed on board and were quickly gathered and ushered inside to see the interior of this amazing ship. The USS Essex has forward deployment and landing capabilities for marine landing forces in amphibious assault operations by helicopter, landing craft or amphibious vehicle. Up top it has six types of aircraft, including the AV Harrier jet, and a number of other types of helicopter capabilities. We were fortunate to tour the well deck where the amphibious craft are launched at sea. The well deck is flooded by up to two metres of water to allow the amphibious craft to depart. The USS Essex also has exceptional medical and dental capability. There are four main operating rooms, two emergency rooms, X-ray facilities, a blood bank and the overall capacity of a 600-bed hospital. These not only assist defence personnel but also can assist people anywhere in the Pacific Rim by providing humanitarian aid. I will read out some statistics on the ship that are available on the internet. The complement of the ship is 1,200 navy personnel and 1,800 marines. It has three air-cushioned landing craft and two other landing craft units. It has 33 aircraft. And each day it serves 7,620 meals.

Following a tour of the bridge and after watching several AV Harrier jets take off, it was time to depart and head for Shoalwater Bay. The return flight allowed a different prospective of the coastline and some bushland flying over this beautiful part of Central Queensland. Seeing the landscape reassured us that the environmental management plan the Department of Defence engages is fully sustainable for the exercise and the future. At the close of the exercise, redeployment is managed through a ‘no footprint’ policy, with all exercise materials, equipment and debris removed and all disturbances—for example, tracks and ditches—rehabilitated.

We arrived at the Glen and were escorted from there to Camp Growl for lunch with the ADF and US troops. The commander, Lieutenant Colonel Duus from the blue team, greeted us and, later that afternoon, engaged us in a briefing on the success of his tactical manoeuvres with the red team. I found his explanations on unconventional tactics extremely interesting.

Later in the afternoon we visited the range control and viewed defence’s advanced research projects, which provided an insight into the amazing technology for detection of the enemy on the battlefield. Our last visit was to the Joint Combined Training Centre, which has a virtual training capacity to assist troops on the ground. The technology used provides undisputed outcomes in surveillance of personnel on the ground, displaying clear results of engagement. Additionally, the virtual reality simulations provide for enhanced training for defence personnel in a real-life situation. This not only protects their safety but also protects the environment and delivers excellent training at a minimal cost. After a quick tour of the makeshift town where imaginary citizens were living, it was time to travel back to the Glen and board our Blackhawk helicopter for the trip back to Rockhampton.

Like previous defence experiences I have been involved in, I found the opportunity rewarding and educational. No doubt the greatest reward was seeing the professional engagement of our ADF troops, both regular and reserve, in exercises that will enhance their capabilities. I would like to thank all defence personnel for their hospitality, particularly Herna Ward and Private Mick Dolan for taking care of us.

During the parliamentary sitting break in July and along with other senators and members of the House of Representatives who are members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I visited the Pine Gap and Timor-Leste bases. Despite the erroneous myth that Pine Gap is a US military base, or a submarine refuelling station for a secret underground passage from the coast, we were all impressed with the capabilities of this collaborative joint defence base we share with the US.

Pine Gap was built in 1967. Although their actions are confidential, they are involved in the collection of intelligence by technical means as well as providing ballistic missile early warning information capabilities. Around 800 personnel are employed on the base, which naturally injects largely into the Alice Springs economy. Additionally, the Pine Gap facility contributes significantly to global peace and security through the intelligence gathering at the facility, particularly in our region, through the early warning of ballistic missile launches that it provides. I cannot think of a more important bilateral relationship for this country than the one that we have with the United States of America. This relationship is a foundation of our foreign policy.

The following day we ventured to Timor-Leste and witnessed first hand the excellent collaboration our ADF is taking part in. Overall, it was a special opportunity to meet the ADF and receive briefs on its successes and struggles in this country. Notwithstanding the presentations and experiences delivered throughout the day, the training centre at Metinaro was in my opinion the highlight. Our ADF personnel are making real inroads into helping the Timorese in training and development. As an avid supporter of the Australian Defence Force personnel and the committed work they do both here and abroad, I was, through these visits, once again reminded of how appreciative I am of their involvement in making our country safer through training and collaboration with the defence forces of other nations