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Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has travelled to Papua New Guinea for a groundbreaking ceremony at Goldie River Training Depot.
The Goldie River Training Depot and Igam Barracks in PNG are expected improve the standard of living and operational capability of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and their families by restoring the functionality of the water and wastewater systems at the Goldie River Training Depot and the wastewater system at Igam Barracks.
The Minister for Defence also met with Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Defence, Dr Billy Joseph, and Indonesia’s Minister of Defence, Dr Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, for the inaugural Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting earlier this week.
The meeting is expected to discuss strengthening defence partnerships and advancing peace and stability throughout the region.
“It’s my third time to PNG this year, and it is wonderful to be here again. Can I acknowledge Ewan McDonald, the Australian high commissioner to PNG, Secretary Akipe and the CDF, and all the distinguished guests who are here on what is a really important event – and that is the opening or the turning of the sod of this facility that we’re constructing here at the Goldie Barracks, Goldie River Training Depot,” Deputy Prime Minister Marles said, speaking at a media conference on 2 December.
“This is going to be a 200-bed or 200-person facility with 50 rooms. It will have resilience in terms of potable water storage and in terms of solar energy back-up.
“It is a really important facility in terms of what Papua New Guinea and the PNG Defence Force needs to do in building its numbers and we are a very proud partner with Papua New Guinea in seeing the building of this facility. Perhaps, though, its greatest significance is that this is the first facility, the first infrastructure investment, that we are making since the signing of the Pukpuk Treaty.
“What’s good for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force is good for the Australian Defence Force; what’s good for PNG is what is good for Australia. And so we are really pleased to be able to make this investment of 15 million kina in this facility.
“Because investing in this facility, investing in the PNG Defence Force, we see that we are investing in Australia’s security; we are investing in the joint security of our two nations, two nations, which stand before you as allies.
“The project is expected to be built over the next 14 months, with completion in the early part of 2027.”
