Radio interview, mix 104.9

SUBJECTS: Kuru Wharf at HMAS Coonawarra; Defence Investment in the Northern Territory; Exercise Pitch Black.

KATIE WOOLF, host: The Australian Government, well, they've enhanced their maritime capability, or we, you know for us here in the Northern Territory and right across Australia, with the official opening of the new Kuru Wharf at HMAS Coonawarra here in the NT. Now joining us on the line is the Assistant Minister for Defence, Matt Thistlethwaite. Good morning to you.

MATT THISTLETHWAITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Good morning, Katie. Thanks for having me on. It's great to be back up here in Darwin.

WOOLF: Yeah, good to have you on. Thanks so much for your time. Assistant Minister, tell us, why is this wharf needed?

ASSISTANT MINISTER: We're bolstering our maritime capabilities here in Darwin and across the north, and this is a $210 million dollar investment in a new wharf at Kuru, here at HMAS Coonawarra. It will allow us to take a much bigger class of vessels, so we'll be able to fit a couple of submarines, six patrol boats and even some of the biggest destroyers. The Italian, massive Italian destroyer that was here on the weekend was alongside here. So, we're really bolstering our maritime capabilities here in Darwin and across the north.

WOOLF: And so what exactly will it mean, I guess, for our capabilities here in the north and right across Australia? And what's sort of been involved in the, you know, in the construction?

ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, the Defence Strategic Review pointed out that we need to invest a lot more in the north of Australia and the Government's responding to that. We're basically upgrading every base across the north. It'll be about $14 billion dollars worth of investment over the next decade. And this important construction was undertaken by local contractors, 80 percent of the contractors that were involved were from the Northern Territory, 9 percent of those were Indigenous businesses and it created a couple of hundred jobs. And I can tell you, looking at the wharf right in front of me now, the skill and expertise involved to ensure that this fantastic wharf in an area where, you know, you get a pretty big rise and fall in the tides, has been constructed. So, it really improves our maritime capability and it's a great representation of Darwin and the top end's contribution to our Defence Force.

WOOLF: Now, Assistant Minister, we are certainly seeing, you know, the military and the Defence Force on full display at the moment with Exercise Pitch Black underway. Have you been out to see some of the troops and catch up with them?

ASSISTANT MINISTER: I certainly have, Katie. I spent yesterday out at the RAAF Base and we importantly got to see the planning that goes into the night time missions that they fly, about 10 hours worth of planning. As you know, with Pitch Black this year, we've got four and a half thousand troops from 20 different nations. It's the largest contingent ever and six of those are new participants. And we got to see the jet fighters our F-35s, and our allies’ jet fighters take off last night from the RAAF Base and they were involved in a combat exercise from Tindal all the way to Darwin. About 24 different aircraft. And importantly, we got to see the control and command, the comms that go on with the pilots, how they fly the mission, what the mission objective was. And it just gives you a great respect for the Australian Defence Force. It really makes you feel proud of our Air Force and our Australian Defence Force personnel.

WOOLF: It's been really good for us. We've had quite a number of them come into the studio and, you know, have a chat to us about the exercise and talk a little bit more about the work that they do. And I think it's been really good for the Territory audience to, you know, to get to know them a bit more and see and hear that passion as well from a lot of our Defence members.

ASSISTANT MINISTER: Yeah, well, that's evident in the fact that there was 22,000 people down on Mindil Beach to watch the flyover, 30,000 at the RAAF Base. Luke Gosling tells me that it's the first time he's ever seen a traffic jam in Darwin.

WOOLF: Pretty much.

ASSISTANT MINISTER: I think it's a great representation of the affection that the Australian Defence Force have for the Darwin community and the Darwin communities support for our Defence Force. And that's why the Government is investing so heavily in this local community. There's also a heap of work that's going on here at the Larrakeyah Base. There's a $610 million dollar upgrade going on here to new living accommodation, to new mess facilities, to health facilities. And that's why we're doing this, because the north's so important. We want to grow the Defence force up here and we know that the Darwin community is so welcoming and so supportive.

WOOLF: Well, Matt Thistlethwaite, the Assistant Minister for Defence, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for the quick chat.

ASSISTANT MINISTER: Thanks for having me on, Katie.

ENDS 

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