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

It will be my privilege and pleasure this Friday to represent the Minister for Defence at RAAF Base Amberley in Ipswich, where I will be opening the building for No. 33 Squadron. I had the opportunity to participate in the Australian Defence Force parliamentary program, for which I was stationed—if I can put it like that—at RAAF Base Amberley between 4 August and 8 August. I want to thank group captains Rob McKenzie and Paul Hislop for their cooperation and their friendliness during the time, as well as all the personnel at RAAF Base Amberley. It certainly deepened my understanding and appreciation of the role and the operation of the ADF and of what goes on at RAAF Base Amberley. That says something for a person like me, who has lived in Ipswich all his life and who has played sport with and socialised with, worked with and even worshipped with members of the ADF.

The military has been an important part of the city of Ipswich since 1860. We call our football teams the Diggers and the Jets and we call our basketball team the Force, which is an indication of the affection with which we hold RAAF Base Amberley. I want to commend the Rudd Labor government for the expansion of the stage 3 redevelopment of RAAF Base Amberley. It is a $331.5 million operation. It is a funding commitment to make the RAAF base at Amberley a superbase. It is good for the economy. It will bring in thousands more military personnel to the area and their families as well. We warmly welcome them. It will enhance the defence capability at the base. It will enable personnel mobility, morale and esprit de corps, training outcomes and also attraction and retention to be improved in the local area.

I witnessed a number of important developments. RAAF Base Amberley at the moment is like a construction site. I would also urge the government to think about a better use of the Amberley State Primary School, the land for which we have purchased from the state Labor government. I would like to see the cadets there use those facilities. I have publicly said that in the local media in Ipswich. I would urge the government to do so.

We also look forward very much to the 24 Super Hornets to be based at Amberley. It is a $117 million commitment from the Rudd Labor government. We look forward to their arrival and their continuing operation for many years to come in the Ipswich area. It is tremendous for the local economy; it is tremendous for the local community. We love the military in Ipswich and we look forward to them being more involved in our local community. (Time expired)