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

All three of the pilots that I have detailed will have a positive impact on local businesses in Central and North Queensland, whether they are the upgrades to the explosive ordnance depot at Mount Stuart, the Townsville field training area or the Shoalwater Bay training area near Rockhampton, which all form part of this pilot. The initiative will also give local businesses in Central and North Queensland a useful opportunity to showcase their capability in the lead-up to the Australian-Singapore military training initiative, which is also going to prioritise the use of local industry as recorded in the memorandum of understanding that was signed between both the Australian and Singaporean governments.

The week before last, the trade minister and I led a trade delegation to Singapore, in which Senator Macdonald participated, with approximately 20 business and local government representatives who gained very useful visibility of the opportunities that are available and also built valuable relationships with the Singapore government and businesses. I loved their enthusiasm; they are great representatives for their region. (Time expired)