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

I rise this evening to talk about the experience I had at RAAF Amberley on 18 May. I entered the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program at RAAF Amberley with no preconceived views, only to find a sense of satisfaction and appreciation of the men and women who make up our Australian Defence Force. I was not disappointed.

Day one commenced with the traditional welcoming by Wing Commander Marty Smith and Corporal Adele Taylor. From here it was a transition into defence greens at the clothing store. From top to bottom, I donned the traditional camo clothing, along with the ADF Parliamentary Program tags.

Following the induction process we headed for the Health Services Wing to get a briefing from Captain Karen Leshinskas. It was an interesting experience to obtain knowledge of how our troops take care of not only fellow defence personnel, but many of the rescue missions recently conducted in disaster relief have been handled by these dedicated people. After lunch we visited the airfield and surrounds with Flight Lieutenant Ashley McAlpine. As we inspected the different ends of the airfield various aircraft were landing and departing. These ranged from C-17s to the  F111s. Being in close proximity to the aircraft was an experience on its own.

Later on in the afternoon we went to an exercise where the 38/2 ECSS Night Owl were performing simulated training in the rescue of what would normally be Australian citizens overseas in areas of conflict. As the afternoon unfolded, the defence personnel were processing people who were endeavouring to evacuate from conflict areas along with other nationalities. Some who had issues with not having identification or other papers were attended to by Australian immigration officials. In general all of those participating in the exercise conducted themselves in a professional manner in the real-life scenario.

Tuesday was a time to catch up with the HQ CSG. Later on in the afternoon I had the opportunity to meet the airfield fire fighters. These people are stationed directly adjacent to the tarmac with a response time of 15 seconds to be in their Panther fire vehicles ready to leave the station in emergencies. The Panther replaces the Trident fire truck, which has passed its use-by date. The Panther is fully equipped with the technology required in the 21st century to deal with any situation. Following that we went to the RAAF base museum and has a tour with Warrant Officer Dennis Doggett. Dennis explained in passionate detail his Air Force displays ranging from a complete Douglas Boston recovered from Papua New Guinea to a Canberra and other bits and pieces of memorabilia over the past years.

Wednesday delivered an experience of gaining first-hand exposure to the C-17 Globemaster courtesy of 36 Squadron. From takeoff to return over Richmond, New South Wales, despite the weather being severely inclement, being in the cockpit of this huge jet was a real experience. The RAAF purchased the first of four of the C-17s in December 2006. The C-17 Globemaster is a high-wing four-engine heavy transporter. It has three times the carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules, allowing Australia to rapidly deploy troops, combat vehicles, heavy equipment and helicopters anywhere in the world. The C-17 Globemaster is large enough to transport the M1A1Abrams tank; Blackhawk, Seahawk or Chinook helicopters; three Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters or five Bushmaster infantry vehicles. It significantly enhances our ability to support national and international operations and major disaster relief efforts. Most of the pilots I spoke to had been on several missions around the world assisting in humanitarian support to either deliver urgent supplies or save people from extreme situations. Although the weather was some of the worst south-east Queensland had delivered since the devastating 1974 floods, the experience of being part of the exercise was overwhelming. The Health Services Wing was engaged in simulated exercises as well throughout the flight in dealing with injured and complicated issues like cardiac arrest and giving birth. All pulled through without any complications, thanks to the dedicated defence personnel.

Thursday was another experience under the hospitality Flight Lieutenant Mathew Nunn from 36 Squadron. With the weather cleared, the day’s exercise looked promising for the simulated airdrop off Mackay. Before departure the morning was spent with the various maintenance departments. I found the experience interesting in the depth of each particular area’s involvement in ensuring the aircraft are maintained with precision and commitment.

We left RAAF Amberley around 1230 hours and headed north over Gayndah tracking towards Mackay east islands. Just north-east of Prudhoe Island off the coast of Mackay we conducted the first airdrop. This involved descending approximately 500 metres above sea level to conduct a simulated drop. Following a further swoop over the same area, with precision another successful drop was executed. From here it was return to base involving several touch and departure landings on the Amberley airfield. Following these exercises we landed on the shorter runway with amazing accuracy.

Friday’s program was amended due to other commitments in North Queensland on the weekend. However, the delivery of information and displays was consistent with those delivered throughout the week. In the morning I was presented to the RAAF SFS to gain insight into their activities. These included the dog unit and the emergency rescue wing. The RAAF Military Working Dog Fleet Supply flight unit was a true experience on its own seeing handlers and their dogs work through various techniques of attack. Additionally it was great to witness the breeding division and handle some of the young dogs heading for a future in the defence service. The working dog unit at Amberley is responsible for supplying dogs to the Australian Defence Force suitable for training as military working dogs.

They breed approximately 80 pups each year, which need foster carers to look after the pups in their homes for approximately four months. The pups usually head out to foster care at 12 weeks of age. They are usually returned at seven months of age. However, this may vary depending on the individual dog and how it is progressing in foster care. The unit breached German shepherds and Malinois. The Malinois has an athletic build, generally tan short coat and black face. Both breeds have proven themselves successful in many police and service organisations throughout the world.

The dogs are developed for training as military working dogs in the RAAF. At maturity they are teamed with RAAF handlers and are involved in Air Force base security and law enforcement. They must provide protection for their handler and ensure the security of RAAF assets and personnel. As such, the dog has an attack-under-control capability, as well as the ability for ground and airborne scent detection and trailing. As a foster carer for a RAAF pup, you will be providing a valuable service to our Australian Defence Force and to our country.

After this we went to the Emergency Rescue Wing to experience the involvement these men and women have in various training and rescue techniques. The training I witnessed was on vehicles using several techniques with apparatus like the jaws of life to recover people from wrecks. Despite not reaching my aspirations of flying an F111, the overall experience was an absolute pleasure. Each and every defence person, from the corporal to the OC of the base, demonstrated a level of commitment, professionalism and competence that would make any Australian proud that these dedicated people are representing Australia nationally and internationally in various situations. I would certainly encourage every parliamentarian to experience the ADF Parliamentary Program at some stage.