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

I thank Senator Williams for that supplementary question, because those Defence facilities span our nation, whether it is in an urban environment, like the location of Fleet Base East in Sydney, or in some of our most regional and remote locations, like RAAF bases Learmonth or Curtin in Western Australia. When we are investing in these upgrades—the enhancements and refurbishments—we are actually also investing in those local communities. The purpose of the white paper in pursuing this investment is going to enable us to create local benefits and local jobs wherever there are Defence bases and wherever there are businesses that support Defence. The significant funding for Defence estate and infrastructure that I have already outlined will be spent locally and it will benefit local communities and regions.