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Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has announced that six companies have been awarded contracts worth more than $11 million under the $2.25 billion Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI), as the expansion of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area ramps up in central Queensland.
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Minister Price said the contracts were part of up to 200 sub-contract packages to be made available over the next five years in the region.
Sub-contracts for fuel supply, consumables, potable water, fencing and engineering services have been awarded to companies based in the Capricorn region:
- Bulk Fuel Australia has been awarded a contract valued at $7.06 million for fuel supply. It has a head office in Brisbane and a Rockhampton facility;
- Tunuba, a joint venture between the Darumbal Traditional Owners and Central Queensland Consulting Group, has been awarded a $430,000 contract for consumables;
- JRT Civil, based in Yeppoon, has been awarded a $195,000 contract for the supply of potable water;
- TRM Fencing, a Rockhampton-based company, has been awarded $1.48 million for fencing works;
- Engineering company Premise Australia, which has a base in Mackay, has been awarded a contract worth approximately $178,000; and
- Civil engineers Butler Partners, which has a base in Rockhampton, has been awarded a $2.41 million contract for geotechnical work during the construction phase.
"The Shoalwater Bay Training Area is one of Australia’s most important Defence training areas, and its expansion is supporting economic growth in central Queensland," Minister Price said.
She added, "We are committed to maximising opportunities for local industry across the life of the ASMTI through its Local Industry Capability Plan."
Australia and Singapore enjoy a long history of bilateral and multilateral defence co-operation, through organisations including the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
Federal member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said these packages were in addition to the central Queensland businesses already engaged in the design and construction of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area expansion.
"I’m extremely pleased with the level of engagement with local industry and businesses under the ASMTI. This initiative is a game-changer for our region and it’s only through the support of our government that we’re seeing so many local jobs and opportunities created," Landry explained.
The Australia-Singapore defence relationship includes the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), which provides for the joint development of military training areas and facilities in Australia and Singapore to continue to exploit the benefits derived from the development of Exercise TRIDENT as the signature bilateral joint military exercise.
The CSP will enable Australia and Singapore to work together on defence science and technology, in areas including combat systems/command, control, communications, computers and intelligence integration; and cognitive/human systems integration.
The ASMTI is delivering enhanced training areas for the Australian Defence Force in central and north Queensland, enhancing Australia’s bilateral defence relationship with Singapore and providing significant local economic opportunities.
Over the life of the ASMTI, there will be an injection of about $2 billion into Queensland’s regional economies, including an estimated $50 million spent annually during the construction phase.
Additional work packages for fencing, potable water supply, waste consumption, fuel supply, consumables and quarry products will be awarded as part of an anticipated 200 sub-contract packages that will be available over the next five years in central Queensland.
