Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence Fran Bailey said tonight that Victoria would benefit from approved Defence facilities projects totalling approximately $23 million in the 2004-05 Budget.

Subject to Defence planning processes, an extra $9 million per annum will be spent over the next four years on Defence estate upkeep works.

Some 10,800 members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Department of Defence personnel are based in Victoria.

"The investment in Victoria will see significant funds being allocated to the provision of child care centres. More than $4 million will be provided to establish 50 new child care centre places at RAAF Base East Sale, while Puckapunyal will benefit from the construction of a new Multi Functional Children’s Centre. The facility in Puckapunyal will provide a number of functions including 60 child care places, a kindergarten and a playgroup", Fran Bailey said.

"The provision of new child care centre places is one of the most important things we can do for our personnel with families".

"While at Geelong $3.8 million will be spent rationalising a number of depots and creating an army multi-user depot".

Capital Facilities Projects for Victoria include:

This project will consolidate and rationalise a number of Reserve depots into a single location in Geelong with redevelopment of Myers Street Depot including renovation, demolition and new building works.

The project is to construct a facility to house the small arms Weapons Training Simulation System (WTSS) at Cerberus. The WTSS is an indoor 12 lane, laser-based simulation system that employs modified weapons and computer generated graphics.

The purpose of this project is to construct a new 50 place Childcare Centre at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria, to provide childcare services for children of ADF members, including working accommodation for staff.

Health Services Wing (HSW) is the major provider of medical training to the Australian Army. The project will allow for the construction of a purpose-built facility encompassing a large indoor practice area, with simulation, observation and waiting rooms and will allow HSW to deliver more realistic and professional training.

Provision of a new purpose designed band facility to accommodate about 45 personnel with instruction, training and practice areas; recording facilities, music library, equipment / instrument storage and repair.

Refurbishment of existing buildings to accommodate 200 Defence International students and staff of the Defence International Training Centre.

The aim of this project is to construct a new Multi Function Children’s Centre at Puckapunyal. This facility is required to provide for a number of functions including a 60 place long-day childcare centre (including occasional care), kindergarten (for 3 and 4 year olds), out of school hour’s care, vacation care, and a playgroup.

This project involves the refurbishment of Tobruk Barracks, Puckapunyal, Victoria, to provide a Regional Training and Simulation Centre (RTSC) for the Royal Australian Army.

This project will provide training facilities, vehicle shelters, equipment storage facilities and driver training circuit at School of Armour at Hopkins Barracks, Puckapunyal, Victoria, and provision of training facilities and equipment storage facilities at 2 Cav Regt, Robertson Barracks, Palmerston, Northern Territory.

This project relocates science and technology functions from Maribyrnong to Fishermans Bend. It includes the integration of common functions and the construction of enhanced research and laboratory facilities.

The Government will provide an additional $300m over three years from 2005-06 to meet increasing costs of maintaining the Defence estate. Defence has also redirected an additional $100m from within its existing budget to estate upkeep in 2004-05. The additional funding will bring planned expenditure on Defence estate upkeep to approximately $330m per annum for the next four years.

The additional funding will enable Defence to meet the increasing cost of maintaining its extensive base infrastructure, including airfields, naval bases, barracks, training ranges and fuel farms. Funds will also be used to meet community, environmental and occupational health and safety regulatory requirements.

The program of estate upkeep works is developed each year. The further funding is expected to result in the following additional expenditure on estate upkeep in Victoria over the next four years. These amounts may change as planning processes proceed.

Examples of works to be undertaken in Victoria in 2004-05 include:

• upgrade bulk fuel storage at Puckapunyal;
• airfield maintenance at RAAF Base East Sale; and
• improvements to address occupational health and safety issues at Cadet facilities.