ADF buys land for new training area
Defence is one step closer to establishing a new training area in north Queensland as part of the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI).
MAP: Greenvale, Queensland (town boundary – not the boundary of the new training area).
Assistant Minister for Defence David Fawcett said Defence had exchanged contracts with willing sellers to acquire sufficient land to establish a new military training area near Greenvale, west of Townsville.
“Defence has been in negotiations with willing sellers for six months and I am pleased to report that we have reached this important milestone,” Minister Fawcett said.
“This has been a large and complex land acquisition program and I would like to thank landholders and the community of Greenvale for their ongoing goodwill and patience throughout this process.
“Great progress is also being made to acquire land to expand and further develop the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in central Queensland.
“There is more work to do before construction can commence at both sites next year and Defence will continue to engage with landholders and local communities as we move into the next phase of development.”
The land acquisition process got off to a pretty bad start earlier in the year with communities campaigning vehemently agains the then threat of compulsory land repossessions (see related stories below).
“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,” Mr Fawcett said.
“Over the life of the ASMTI, there will be an injection of approximately $2 billion into Queensland’s regional economies, including an estimated $50 million spent annually during the construction phase.”
Learn more about the ASMTI here.
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