City Welcomes Stronger Defence Presence in WA
Date Published: 24/06/2011
Speaking from Canberra yesterday morning City of Rockingham Mayor, Barry Sammels welcomed the announcement from Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith MP, that the Department of Defence will review the geographical positioning of the nation’s defence resources.
Headed by an Expert Panel, the Force Posture Review will ensure that the Australian Defence Force will be able to meet Australia s modern and future strategic and security challenges.
Under the review Western Australia could be considered as more of a significant military hub to ensure the protection of offshore oil and gas rigs in the Indian Ocean.
The review will complement the work currently underway with the United States’ Global Posture Review which could see the expansion of the US Defence presence in WA’s north.
Mayor Sammels said he considers the Force Posture Review of strategic significance to the City of Rockingham if future helicopter docks and new submarines are based at Garden Island’s HMAS Stirling: “For some time the City has been planning for a high-growth period between now and 2030, and we are already implementing strategies to accommodate an additional 64, 000 residents.
“We feel well placed to meet any community infrastructure challenges that may arise if more Defence personnel are relocated to Garden Island.”
“It was great to meet with the Minister for Defence and our local Member of Parliament Gary Gray on the actual day of this announcement to discuss both the strategic importance of the City of Rockingham in the support context to HMAS Stirling and the significant role for Rockingham will play in the review.”
The defence review is scheduled to be completed in March 2012 and will inform the next Defence White Paper due in 2014.
return to news summary page
|