Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Williams for that very important question. Reliable access to essential and contemporary facilities—whether they are military bases, wharves, port facilities, airbases, training ranges or fuel and explosive ordnance infrastructure—is absolutely vital to the ADF's ability to conduct and sustain operations in Australia and across the region. That is why the 2016 Defence white paper has examined the issue of key enablers so closely and why we will invest over the next decade about $26 billion in upgrading and expanding those Defence facilities right across the country.

We are also going to spend over the decade on the maintenance of our existing 600 Defence sites $19 billion, which will include refurbishment and garrison support. That is very, very important to the men and women of the ADF. In fact, every state and territory in Australia will benefit from this massive investment. Much of it, by virtue of the locations of many of these sites, will be in regional and remote Australia.

For far too long, the white paper confirms—and those who work within them would also say this—that critical Defence estate and infrastructure has been neglected. It has suffered from very significant underinvestment. In fact Labor cut almost $2.7 billion from Defence estate funding over the forward estimates period while they were in government. We recognise that to support our 21st century Defence Force they need 21st century facilities. With the white paper, the Turnbull government will absolutely revitalise the infrastructure that underpins our Australian Defence Force.