Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. Is it not the case that the Woomera Prohibited Area, the WPA, is a unique national security asset for testing advanced defence capabilities for Australia and our allies? Is it not the case that the review of access arrangements for mining and other activities within the WPA undertaken for Defence by Dr Gordon de Brouwer recommended that 'a key consideration for Defence when it assesses WPA access applications should be whether companies have substantial Australian ownership, control and influence'? What, then, is the government's approach to the expansion of the magnetite mining and transport operations in the WPA being planned by Chinese owned company CU-River Mining, and its Chinese owned partner, Jiujiang Mining Australia?