The Hon. Fran Bailey, MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence
Printer friendly version
13 Jan 2003
APPOINTMENT OF CONSULTANT TO CONDUCT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR HQAST
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence the Hon Fran Bailey today announced the appointment of URS Australia Pty Ltd to undertake the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new joint operational headquarters for the Australian Defence Force – Headquarters Australian Theatre (HQAST).
URS Australia is a company with a solid reputation in managing environmental issues. Community and inter-governmental consultation will be a key feature of this project with the draft EIS due for completion by mid 2003" said Fran Bailey.
In broad terms, the new headquarters complex represents an investment of about $200 million in equipment and buildings and is due for completion by the end of 2006. The construction phase will inject an estimated $150 million into the Queanbeyan regional economy creating up to 250 jobs in construction and related communications and information technology work.
About 1000 service personnel are expected to work in the new headquarters. Additional defence personnel together with their families, will require local housing for more than 3000.
"Mr Gary Nairn has taken an integral role in stakeholder consultation and has provided considerable support in the development of the project. I’d like to thank the local federal member Mr Gary Nairn for his continuing support for the project and his efforts to facilitate the ongoing community consultation that will be required for this project" said Fran Bailey.
A single joint command centre at the operational level will provide the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) with an effective and efficient means of commanding the ADF, ensure a more efficient allocation of resources, and improve the information flow to Government with more informed and responsive advice.
The new headquarters will bring together for the first time Joint, Maritime, Land, Air and Special Operations staff. The Australian Theatre Joint Intelligence Centre and the 1st Joint Movement Group will also be housed in the building complex.
Locating Headquarters Australian Theatre near Queanbeyan will help improve retention of key personnel within the ADF by offering increased certainty for their families. With the possibility of back-to-back postings, more officers will be able to reside in one location for a longer period.
Media Contact:
Fran Bailey’s Office Matt Allen 02 6277 4433 or 0407 100 52
Defence: Andrew Stackpool 02 6265 2703 or 0410 626 639
Printer
friendly version