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Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has announced the expansion of Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) under the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) has reached a significant milestone with the start of major construction works.
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The works will provide a significant economic boost for regional Queensland, with more subcontracts set to come down the pipeline to local businesses.
They will include the construction of urban operations training facilities, information and communication technology infrastructure, waste management and medical facilities across the expanded SWBTA.
The project’s construction workforce is expected to peak at 450 people. The managing contractor for SWBTA, Laing O’Rourke, has already committed to sourcing close to 80 per cent of the value of the subcontracted works from the central Queensland region.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the investment through the ASMTI was a major milestone.
"Singapore is a close defence partner with a shared commitment to regional stability, having conducted military training in Australia for almost 30 years. The training initiative is already delivering significant economic benefits for Queensland, with 23 businesses based in the Rockhampton and Livingstone Shire regions sharing close to $79 million of work," Minister Price said.
Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said she was delighted to see the start of civil works on the Shoalwater Bay Training Area site.
"It’s fantastic to see such development in central Queensland. This is more good news for local businesses, some of whom I hope will stand to benefit from the numerous packages to be released to market in the future," Landry said.
Expanding on the opportunity provided by the ASMTI investment program, Landry added, "Just recently, two more contracts worth more than $10 million were awarded for works on site, including Bellequip Pty Ltd, which has been awarded in the order of $6 million to deliver construction works at SWBTA.
"Indigenous-endorsed company, On Country Workforce Solutions, has won a $3.9 million contract for labour hire, providing logistical and site maintenance services on site."
Minister Price said the government was committed to maximising economic benefits for communities from its $270 billion investment in Defence capability.
It is also committed to increasing the opportunities for local industry in central Queensland across the life of the ASMTI.
"This milestone brings optimism and opportunities for the local and national economy during a period of economic uncertainty brought on by COVID-19," Minister Price said.
The Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) is an opportunity for Australia to build Defence capability and enhance its bilateral relationship with Singapore, while providing enduring economic benefits to central and north Queensland.
Under the ASMTI, Singapore will invest around $2.25 billion for Australia to develop and enhance training areas to meet the future needs of the Australian Defence Force and facilitate an increased presence of Singapore Armed Forces personnel.
The existing Shoalwater Bay Training Area in central Queensland is being expanded and a new training area is being established near Greenvale in north Queensland. These training areas will be owned and managed by the Australian government.
When the ASMTI reaches maturity, up to 14,000 Singapore Armed Forces personnel will conduct training in central and north Queensland over 18 weeks each year.
