Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Minister for Rural Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for his question. The Australian Defence Force has a long and proud history of working with those in communities in rural, regional and remote Australia. From Swanbourne to Singleton, the critical role of the ADF can be felt in our local regional communities. Through the defence white paper announced last week the government will deliver greater security and opportunity for regional Australia. It is a plan for Australia's long-term defence.

The government will provide approximately $195 billion in investment in capability over the next decade, a significant proportion of which will be spent in Australia. A strong, agile and dynamic economy and defence go hand in hand. With a good proportion of the defence budget to be spent locally, we will clearly see benefits for our regional communities. Increased construction and development will provide significant opportunities for local industries, such as building and construction, ICT and logistics. There will be more jobs and more opportunities for defence related industries to support defence initiatives and increase economic prosperity.

Under the defence white paper uniformed personnel will increase to around 62,400 over the decade to 2025-26, the largest increase since 1993. This growth reflects nearly 5,000 new or reallocated ADF positions, with a net increase of around 2,500 ADF positions over the decade. Many of these benefits will flow into not only the regional communities of Queensland but all those communities home to Defence assets across rural, regional and remote Australia. The ADF has played a critical role in Australia's regions for more than 100 years, and the defence white paper sets a strong foundation for this to continue into the future.