Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Scarr for his question. The Morrison government is very proud to be committed to building an ADF capable of meeting Australia's security needs, and northern Australia is vital to our nation's security. The substantial investment by the Morrison government in northern Australia will enable Defence to do a number of things—first of all, increase awareness of our northern approaches; strengthen regional partnerships; and support defence activities and, in particular, training exercises. We are investing over $10 billion in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland—$10 billion in the Northern Territory, $2.25 billion in Queensland and $420 million in Western Australia.

We are committed to enhancing defence capability and presence through the United States Force Posture Initiatives by investing around $2 billion in infrastructure and support services in the Northern Territory alone. I'm very pleased to advise those opposite, including Senator Sterle, that these are now well underway. These initiatives provide significant security benefits for Australia, including deepening interoperability between the ADF and the US Marine Corps, increasing regional engagement and positioning us to respond to crises in the region, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The $2.25 billion investment for the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative will provide significant local economic opportunities in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Central and northern Queensland. These are all important in our changing strategic circumstances and are also important for northern Australia.