Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The people of Blair are rightly proud of Ipswich's unique position as home to Australia's largest operational Air Force base, known as RAAF Base Amberley—home to both Air Force and Army units. The base has been operating since the early 1940s. It plays a vital role in our nation's defence and security and in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster responses globally, especially for our Pacific neighbours, given its proximity to the region, and in Australia. I've seen that across Ipswich on numerous occasions through our many floods. We have a proud record of defence service in Blair, and Ipswich's military history goes back 165 years to colonial times, with residents from across our area fighting in every major conflict involving Australia.

I'm very proud to have RAAF Base Amberley in my electorate. It's a terrific asset for our region and makes a huge contribution to our local economy and community, with over 5,000 ADF personnel working on base and 14,000 ADF veterans and their families living across the Ipswich region. In recent weeks, RAAF Base Amberley has become a significant logistics hub and centrepiece of international defence activity for exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, hosting aircraft and personnel from around the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany—more than 35,000 troops and 150 aircraft participating, making the largest exercise in Australia's history. Thanks to the RAAF Base Amberley. A thank you for the personnel who work there as well.

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