Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence Fran Bailey said tonight that, subject to Defence planning processes, Tasmania would benefit from spending of an additional $3.1 million over the next four years on Defence estate upkeep works.

Some 260 members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Department of Defence personnel are based in Tasmania.

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 Tasmania over the next four years. These amounts may change as planning processes proceed.

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

• maintenance works at Anglesea Barracks;
• improvements to address OH&S issues in Cadet facilities at Training Ships Emu, Mersey and Hobart; and
• upgrade to lighting at Stony Head training area.