Mr LINDSAY (11:39 AM) —I am very privileged to be somewhat close to the ADF in Australia and I am pleased to speak to this defence white paper—Defence 2000—Our Future Defence Force—today. With Australia's largest defence base in my electorate incorporating elements of both the Army and the Air Force, I do get to understand and know about the issues that exist and that are in the minds of the forces in general. I am also privileged to serve on the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works, which has a very significant association with the Australian Defence Force. I see many of the major projects that the ADF bring to the committee for its approval. At this stage I also indicate that the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works is run very capably by its secretary, Mr Trevor Rowe, who is a fine officer of the parliament.

The defence white paper is a tremendous boost for Australia, the defence forces and our local economy in Townsville and Thuringowa. Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not ask you to spell `Thuringowa', but perhaps I will do so later on, in relation to a conversation we had yesterday. The defence white paper released yesterday is a document of significant national importance. I am pleased that the Australian Labor Party also recognises it as such. It is a blueprint for the future defence needs of Australia. It has been widely welcomed. The Defence Force itself has indicated that the government has accepted what has been asked of it. It has funded what has been asked of it, so the forces are happy.

I would say that the community is happy, from what I am picking up, particularly in my patch. The community wanted to see a very clear direction for the defence of Australia. They wanted to see what the defence forces might do, how they might be resourced, what their assets might be, and these things have certainly been provided. The paper that we are noting today is a comprehensive plan for the security of all Australians. It maps out significant improvements in the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force that will provide significant benefits to communities across Australia, but particularly in Townsville and North Queensland as a whole.

The capability enhancements outlined in the white paper will be supported by the biggest funding boost for defence in 20 years. Defence funding will increase an average of three per cent per annum. I note Dr Martin's concerns in relation to the deflator that has been used, but that will be three per cent per annum in real terms over the coming decade—$500 million next year, $500 million on, $500 million the following year and then three per cent each year after that. I believe that a significant amount of that investment is expected to be spent in Australia. I was pleased to see that the three new Navy ships will be built in Australia, and that is very important for the shipbuilding industry.

The specific measures outlined in the white paper that will be of particular benefit to Townsville include the acquisition of additional watercraft for the Army—through 10 FSB on Ross River. It will improve the mobility of troops based at Townsville. Of course, the troops that are based there are Australia's ready deployment force, currently the 1st Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, with the 1st Battalion currently in East Timor and the 2nd Battalion on line as the ready deployment force.

A very interesting recommendation in the white paper has been for a world-class army combat training and evaluation centre to be established in Townsville. That will be a fairly large facility in terms of area. It will have all of the whiz-bang gadgetry—lasers, computers and so on—to put soldiers into the field to see how they perform in certain situations. They will then be able to replay their performance to see what they have done right, what they might have done wrong and how they could have done things better. This is the march of technology into the Defence Force. That facility will likely be located at the Townsville field training area at High Range and it will be an important adjunct to the facilities at Lavarack Barracks. What we will see—and our community in Townsville should understand this—is battalions moving through the city. They will come, do their training and they will move away again, and that will bring benefits to the city as well.

Stage 3 at Lavarack Barracks will proceed. That is all of the working areas of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 3 Combat Engineering Regiment and 4 Field Regiment. There will be brigade headquarters and also 103 Signal Squadron. All of the working areas will be completely upgraded at a cost of $210 million. I understand that the project is likely to come to the Public Works Committee in the middle of next year for approval, which is going to ensure ongoing work for the building industry in Townsville. There will be a further $35 million for stage 2 redevelopment of RAAF at East Townsville that is long overdue. The facilities there are in World War II buildings. I think that underlines the necessity to get some modernisation into the RAAF base.

I was interested to see the recommendation in the paper that the Defence Force intends to maintain fully six infantry battalions with various roles. That ensures that the battalions in Townsville will be at full strength and appropriately equipped. I agree with the member for Cunningham that we do have to pay particular attention to the acquisition and retention of members of the Defence Force. I think that is something that the Defence Force will now work on very strongly as the future directions in the white paper are known and well understood.

The good news continues—my colleague the member for McEwen would like some of this for Puckapunyal—in that we are also going to get a squadron of the armed reconnaissance helicopters at Lavarack Barracks.

Fran Bailey —They can visit.

Mr LINDSAY —Yes, they can. That is part of the Air 87 project. It is interesting that these helicopters were in Air 87, the previous defence white paper, but were never delivered. This time the government is determined that these new helicopters will be delivered because they have a very specific role in relation to the operations of the Army. One squadron will be based in Townsville; the other will be based in Darwin. That is entirely appropriate. As the Army moves it sharp end to the north it is important that the assets be located with the rest of the important elements of the ADF who are required to respond.

Additional marinised troop lift helicopters will also be acquired. I think that is code for Chinook, but I cannot confirm that. We already have four Chinooks; two are being delivered right now. There will be four Chinooks in Townsville. I guess that will mean additional Chinook helicopters will be there ready to support the ready deployment force in Townsville.

For Townsville-Thuringowa this means that the importance of Lavarack in the scheme of things has certainly been enhanced, but there is a civilian side as well, apart from the Defence side. The civilian side is that the amount of money that the ADF spends will have an effect on the economy of my region. The multiplier effect that occurs translates to employment and jobs. We should never underestimate the importance of the ADF in relation to employment and jobs. We heard the member for Cunningham talk about the defence industry. I absolutely agree with the points that he was making. I believe that those in the defence industry will also have smiles on their faces in relation to the directions in the white paper.

It comes right down to grassroots level, to the local supermarket, local plumber, electrician, building contractors, consultants and so on. When you get $210 million spent on stage 3 at Lavarack Barracks, with 85 per cent of that going into the local economy, it is just a huge boost. That is why the ADF in our garrison city is considered so tremendously important. To diverge for a second: the ADF will also play a huge role in the Centenary of Federation next year, as well they might. The nation and our city are very proud of them.

I do have a disappointment in the white paper, but this is not the end of the day. I was looking for some signal that the Tobruk, the Minoura and the Kanimbla would be home ported in Townsville. Currently they are forward based in Townsville.

Mr Bevis —He does want everything.

Mr LINDSAY —The member for Brisbane speaks as a Queenslander. These ships were probably the most extraordinarily expensive mistake that the Navy ever made, far worse than the Collins class submarines, although Collins is what is talked about in the media.

Mr Pyne —They are the best conventional submarine in the world, for goodness sake. It is absolute nonsense you are propagating. Get your facts right.

Mr LINDSAY —It happens to be the view of the Minister for Defence, and you allowed these rust buckets to be purchased. When you look at how much it has cost to bring them back up—

Mr Sawford —You supported the acquisition.

Mr LINDSAY —I am not talking about the Collins class, I am talking about the Manoora and the Kanimbla. I am disappointed that we have not achieved home base ability for these ships, because they are the lift platform across the sea for the ready deployment force. They will be ported in Townsville on perhaps 75 days a year. My point is that these people have got to be where the customers are, and the customers are in Townsville, not in Sydney Harbour. The days are long gone when an admiral could sit in his office and look out over the fleet in Sydney Harbour. The sooner we realise that the better, and the sooner we see those ships home ported in Townsville the better it will be. It is just a small disappointment which I am continuing to work on: we will see if we can make that arrangement.

This is the first time in over 20 years that the Defence Force has had such a firm, real commitment from the federal government to ensuring that our Defence Force retains its capability as a first-class fighting force. I am very happy to see the role that the white paper has set for the ADF, and the various levels of importance in that role. I congratulate the defence minister and, indeed, the service chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Force on what they have been able to bring to the parliament. It has had widespread community support. I will certainly be backing the white paper. Where I see one or two omissions in relation to things like home porting of navy vessels, however, I will be saying that as well.