Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to acknowledge the member for Solomon and his contribution. I agree with him that SMEs are the backbone of our defence industry and we need to do a lot more to support them. I look forward to working with him, the member for Stirling, the member for Braddon and all of our former Defence Force members in this place to empower our defence industry.

I'm pretty excited to speak on this motion today, because Townsville is the largest garrison city in the nation and we are well positioned to benefit from the $270 billion investment in our nation's defence capability over the next decade. In Townsville we have upwards of 30,000 ADF personnel, veterans and their families. That is a big number in one community. They're very valued and very important, and they offer so much to our region. That's why it's important not only that we provide our defence personnel with the best equipment and capability they can possibly have but also that we support our local communities with the employment that comes from it.

It's no secret, Mr Deputy Speaker, that I've been outspoken on some occasions about decisions we've made over the years, so I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister for Defence and the department on the selection of the Apache helicopter to take us into the next phase of our rotary wing capabilities. We speak about the Apache helicopter as a reconnaissance helicopter. I can tell you that it is the most lethal, reliable attack helicopter on the market. That's what we need to be talking about, because this helicopter is the Harley-Davidson of the sky and it will be keeping our Defence Force safe for many years to come.

At one time I made some very public comments that on the battlefield, when it's gone bad and you need air support, no-one has ever closed their eyes and wished for the underperforming Tiger. I know that the Apache had always been the digger's choice because in battle that was the only helicopter that was available, and it has proved itself time and time again. I look forward to seeing the decision paying dividends over the coming years and I will be pleading the case for the Apache to have a presence at the 5th Aviation Regiment in Townsville. It would be welcome. It has the shortest flight time from airport to having guns on target at the live fire range, so I know that the helicopter pilots would like it there.

Continuing on the chopper theme, in Townsville we are home to one of the most elite rotary wing units in the nation, the 5th Aviation Regiment, and they also house the CH-47 Chinook. In Townsville we have a strong local workforce who perform critical maintenance on the Chinook under the integrated support services contract. In March this year we announced the extension of the contract by a year, increasing its total value to $89.2 million. This contract provides dozens of local jobs. It will increase the level of services provided to Defence and expand the maintenance and training support provided to the Chinook fleet. These are the workhorses of the sky. They have been used from Vietnam all the way up to Afghanistan. They are one of the cheapest aircraft that we have in the Australian Defence Force. They were invaluable during Operation Bushfire Assist, when Townsville troops were involved in the deployment. It is another example of how the defence industry is delivering for the local community in Townsville.

We have early works underway, including surveying, demolition, contamination, fencing, minor track construction and repair works, and other relocation services for the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative. The Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative will benefit Townsville. We'll have people located here. The Singaporeans have made Townsville their location of choice to house their maintenance facility. This is all good defence industry for Townsville.

See this speech in context