1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,360
Speaker 1: It does look as though we've got the federal Defense

2
00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:04,360
Speaker 1: Minister on the line right now.

3
00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:06,560
Speaker 2: Richard Miles, Good morning to your minister.

4
00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:08,799
Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. How are you?

5
00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, really well, now we know that obviously. Earlier in

6
00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,440
Speaker 1: the week, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi said that Australia

7
00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,680
Speaker 1: faces the greatest strategic challenges since World War Two, as

8
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,840
Speaker 1: the government unveiled its response to the landmark Defense Review. Minister,

9
00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:25,919
Speaker 1: there has been a lot of discussion over the last

10
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,960
Speaker 1: couple of days in the Northern Territory wondering what this

11
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,200
Speaker 1: review means for the Northern Territory. And you're here today

12
00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,160
Speaker 1: and making a fairly significant announcement.

13
00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,559
Speaker 3: Yeah, look we are. And the answer your question is

14
00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:45,239
Speaker 3: it's hugely significant for the Northern Territory because one of

15
00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,000
Speaker 3: the things that the Defense Strategic Review does is think

16
00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,960
Speaker 3: about what our defense course needs to do in the future,

17
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,920
Speaker 3: and a large part of that is having a much

18
00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,640
Speaker 3: greater predurability to project and our northern base and right

19
00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,440
Speaker 3: here in Darwen and the Northern Territory is the place

20
00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,240
Speaker 3: from which we do that projection. And so today we're

21
00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,680
Speaker 3: announcing a three point eight billion dollars infant to spaces

22
00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,280
Speaker 3: across the north of Australia. It's one of the six

23
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,600
Speaker 3: priorities that we announced on Monday that we would pursue

24
00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,400
Speaker 3: as a government in response to the Defense Strategic Review.

25
00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,840
Speaker 3: And what that means here in Darwin is increased investment

26
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,600
Speaker 3: and infrastructure at HMAS Kernawarra, which is where I'm speaking

27
00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,440
Speaker 3: from you speaking to you from now. It's at Larakia.

28
00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,600
Speaker 3: We're seeing significant money being spent on the wharf. Here,

29
00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,160
Speaker 3: we're seeing money that will be invested in upgrades of

30
00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:43,199
Speaker 3: Robertson barracks. In Darwin, you'll see money in respective Wrath based, Darwin,

31
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,400
Speaker 3: rap based Kindling Catherine. All of these are really important

32
00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,520
Speaker 3: assets for our defense force. But they're so important in

33
00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,480
Speaker 3: terms of how we now think about the job of

34
00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,920
Speaker 3: the Defense Force going forward, and that's projecting from Australia

35
00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:57,840
Speaker 3: and that means projecting from Australia's north.

36
00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,600
Speaker 1: So Minister three point billion dollars to bases across northern Australia.

37
00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,040
Speaker 1: How much is he emarked for the Northern Territory.

38
00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,359
Speaker 3: Oh, well, there's a considerable component of that in the North.

39
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,959
Speaker 3: I mean when we talk a sorry in the Northern Territory,

40
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,080
Speaker 3: when we talk about our northern bases, you know, we

41
00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,080
Speaker 3: are thinking about places like Limont which is in excellence,

42
00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,280
Speaker 3: and Western Australia through too from Coca the Coach and

43
00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,760
Speaker 3: Killing Island through to towns Hall in Queensland. But the

44
00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:31,000
Speaker 3: bases here in the Northern Territory around Darwin, which is

45
00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,000
Speaker 3: one of really the two big defense towns that we

46
00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,480
Speaker 3: have in our country. We're all three services operating out

47
00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:42,040
Speaker 3: of Darwin. Graph based Darwin at Robertson Barracks, here at

48
00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:47,000
Speaker 3: hmas Koonawara, but also Tindall. It is a really critical

49
00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,320
Speaker 3: part of that equation and making. And the other point

50
00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,600
Speaker 3: I would make is that across the North the Darwin

51
00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,280
Speaker 3: is not just a place of investment in infrastructure all

52
00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,960
Speaker 3: very much is that, but it's and it's a place

53
00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,840
Speaker 3: of investment in people. Know, what we're going to see

54
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:08,680
Speaker 3: is the defense personnel grow in Darwen over the coming

55
00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,760
Speaker 3: years as we make sure that we get the human

56
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:17,120
Speaker 3: dimension of this right as well, and so on both sides.

57
00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,040
Speaker 3: All of that equals more money for the territory's economy.

58
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,919
Speaker 1: Do we have any idea just how many people, how

59
00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,359
Speaker 1: many additional defense force personnel we're going to.

60
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,560
Speaker 2: See in the Northern Territory in the coming years.

61
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,720
Speaker 3: I've proven speculate on the numbers, but you will see

62
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,480
Speaker 3: a growth in Australian personnel. I think the other thing

63
00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,720
Speaker 3: that you're going to see in Darwin is really a

64
00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:46,440
Speaker 3: growth in the tempo of exercises. We've got the marine

65
00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,480
Speaker 3: rotation that people be familiar with, which has just started

66
00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,360
Speaker 3: now in the last few weeks and we'll go through

67
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,440
Speaker 3: to October. And it's been such a wonderful thing for

68
00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,120
Speaker 3: this train of defense force in our country, but I

69
00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,720
Speaker 3: think a wonderful thing for the Darwin community. But what

70
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,880
Speaker 3: also other countries in the region look at that and

71
00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:05,800
Speaker 3: see it as a great opportunity for them to do

72
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:10,560
Speaker 3: exercises with Australia and with America here in Dawen and

73
00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,440
Speaker 3: the immediate environment. And so as I go around the region,

74
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,680
Speaker 3: there's a lot of conversations I'm having with countries who

75
00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,440
Speaker 3: want to use this opportunity to engage with us in

76
00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,039
Speaker 3: more exercises. And all of that equals more people coming

77
00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,000
Speaker 3: here and more money being spent in the local economy.

78
00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,400
Speaker 3: So all of it, I think is really an optimistic

79
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,800
Speaker 3: view about the place of defense in Darwin. But what

80
00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:37,839
Speaker 3: that means for the territory's economy going.

81
00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,839
Speaker 1: Forward, Well, it does sound as though it's going to

82
00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,800
Speaker 1: have an impact positively when it comes to the economy.

83
00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,800
Speaker 1: We know that we are strategically important in terms of

84
00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,240
Speaker 1: our location, but we also know that with that there

85
00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:54,200
Speaker 1: is threat. We are here in Darwin obviously commemorate every

86
00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,480
Speaker 1: year the bombing of Darwin, so it is very real

87
00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,040
Speaker 1: for us in the territory. What kind of threat is

88
00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,240
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory under after, you know, having that Defense

89
00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:09,479
Speaker 1: Review and talking about bolstering all the additional resources and

90
00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,920
Speaker 1: our infrastructure, it's.

91
00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,400
Speaker 3: A good question. The Defend Strategic Review describes the most

92
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,400
Speaker 3: challenging circumstances that our country has faced the end of

93
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,960
Speaker 3: the Second World War, and the government agrees with that.

94
00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,560
Speaker 3: Part of that is about the fact that we are

95
00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:34,520
Speaker 3: seeing within our region the biggest conventional build up of

96
00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,279
Speaker 3: military power that we've seen since the end of the

97
00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,080
Speaker 3: Second World War, and that obviously has an impact on

98
00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:44,800
Speaker 3: our strategic landscape and the threat level. I guess in

99
00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,040
Speaker 3: terms of our strategic circumstances. Part of it, though, is

100
00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:51,520
Speaker 3: a change in US. We are much more connected with

101
00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,560
Speaker 3: the world today economically through trade than we were thirty

102
00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,600
Speaker 3: years ago, and there's a physical dimension to that. So

103
00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,320
Speaker 3: we don't look at this as being something where we're

104
00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:03,359
Speaker 3: imagining that there's going to be some invasion of Australia,

105
00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,479
Speaker 3: because the truth is that any country who wanted to

106
00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:07,920
Speaker 3: do is hard can do a whole lot of hards

107
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,800
Speaker 3: for us before ever sitting foot upon our shores. And

108
00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,600
Speaker 3: that's why we really now see that the defense of Australia,

109
00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,600
Speaker 3: our national security, really lies in the collective security of

110
00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,960
Speaker 3: the region in which we live and the maintenance of

111
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,880
Speaker 3: the global rules based order, and both of those are

112
00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,440
Speaker 3: elements of tasking that we have done as of Monday

113
00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,560
Speaker 3: for the first time for our defense force. But in

114
00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,960
Speaker 3: order to do that, you need to be able to project,

115
00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:38,440
Speaker 3: to be able to provide for the collective security of

116
00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:40,880
Speaker 3: our region with our partners, we need to have the

117
00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,000
Speaker 3: capacity to operate beyond our shores, and that's why our

118
00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,320
Speaker 3: northern bases are so important. So I don't think it

119
00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,880
Speaker 3: gives right for an increased threat ver say, for Darwin.

120
00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,280
Speaker 3: It is a very challenging set of circumstances for our country.

121
00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,440
Speaker 3: But what it's really to say is that Darwin is

122
00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,640
Speaker 3: so important in terms of how we as country can

123
00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,839
Speaker 3: respond to those challenging circumstances by enabling us to operate

124
00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,240
Speaker 3: further from our shores, and that means operating from our now.

125
00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,400
Speaker 1: Minister, one of the other things that gets raised very

126
00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,160
Speaker 1: often when we do talk about about our defense and

127
00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,559
Speaker 1: when we do talk about the Northern territory and our importance.

128
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:19,800
Speaker 2: Is the port.

129
00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,160
Speaker 1: We know that the port has been leased for ninety

130
00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,720
Speaker 1: nine years to Chinese owned company land Bridge Group. That

131
00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,280
Speaker 1: is something that the former federal government was having a

132
00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,800
Speaker 1: closer look into. I believe that the current government is

133
00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:34,920
Speaker 1: taking a look into that, or has indeed taken a

134
00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,240
Speaker 1: look into that. Are we expecting to see any changes

135
00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:39,200
Speaker 1: with the port.

136
00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,440
Speaker 3: Well, Obviously, when we're in opposition, we were critical of

137
00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,600
Speaker 3: the former government sale of the Port of Darwin to

138
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,400
Speaker 3: Chinese owned interests and we regard the Port of Darwen

139
00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,160
Speaker 3: as very strategically important and we bring that there as

140
00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,680
Speaker 3: we've come to government last year, and so we initiated

141
00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:01,320
Speaker 3: a root you into the sale of the Port of

142
00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,840
Speaker 3: darm which is being undertaken by the Department of Primester

143
00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,880
Speaker 3: in Cabinet, and that review is both looking at the

144
00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,880
Speaker 3: sale and what options we have going forward. That review

145
00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,400
Speaker 3: is underway now, it will report shortly and will take

146
00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,760
Speaker 3: it from there. But we see the Port of Darwin

147
00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,200
Speaker 3: as being a very important asset for the nation, which

148
00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,880
Speaker 3: is why we've undertaken that review and we'll have something

149
00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:23,720
Speaker 3: to say about that in the not through distant future.

150
00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,920
Speaker 1: So over the next few weeks or so, do you

151
00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:26,920
Speaker 1: anticipate all.

152
00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,280
Speaker 3: Probably won't commit to a timeframe like that, but I

153
00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,280
Speaker 3: mean the review has been operating at a pace since

154
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:38,120
Speaker 3: we initiated on coming into office, and we will it

155
00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:40,240
Speaker 3: will not be long before we get answers from that

156
00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,240
Speaker 3: review and we'll take our decision making process from there.

157
00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,080
Speaker 1: I mean it does seem like it's going to be

158
00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,520
Speaker 1: an important decision to make when you talk about supply

159
00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,240
Speaker 1: chain issues, that's something that has been raised, you know,

160
00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,640
Speaker 1: throughout the week and supply and you would think that

161
00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,960
Speaker 1: that port is an incredibly important piece of infrastructure for

162
00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,160
Speaker 1: Australia hundred percent.

163
00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,280
Speaker 3: I mean, that's why we were so anxious about the

164
00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,120
Speaker 3: sale by the former government and what that has meant

165
00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,319
Speaker 3: from a strategic point of view for our country, and

166
00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,320
Speaker 3: that's why we now need to look at I mean,

167
00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,520
Speaker 3: the sales happened We understand that, so you can't wind

168
00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:17,559
Speaker 3: back the clock, but we wanted to look at what

169
00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,160
Speaker 3: our options are now going forward because we see the

170
00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,160
Speaker 3: port of Darwin, as thinks, so important in terms of

171
00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,800
Speaker 3: the future of well the future of the region, but

172
00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,079
Speaker 3: the future of our country. And so that's why we've

173
00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:31,920
Speaker 3: undertaken the view and as to say, as soon as

174
00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:33,800
Speaker 3: we get the results of that review, we will be

175
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:36,160
Speaker 3: working out what the next steps are.

176
00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:38,800
Speaker 1: As a government defense minister, we are going to have

177
00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:39,960
Speaker 1: to get ready to wrap things up.

178
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:41,840
Speaker 2: Can I just ask you one very quick one.

179
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,520
Speaker 1: You've spoken a lot about the potential economic benefits to

180
00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,120
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Are we going to be utilizing local

181
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,040
Speaker 1: contractors for these projects and for any sort of work

182
00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:54,200
Speaker 1: that is getting underway.

183
00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,840
Speaker 3: It's a really good question and the answer is yes.

184
00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,120
Speaker 3: And we've had a round table this morning with local

185
00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:05,559
Speaker 3: industry and local contractors where you would imagine that question

186
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,440
Speaker 3: was raised. Look, we really see that part of the

187
00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:14,400
Speaker 3: social license of defense of or government generally, but defense

188
00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,400
Speaker 3: specifically operating in well anywhere, but certainly in a place

189
00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,319
Speaker 3: like dar And is making sure that as that defense

190
00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,840
Speaker 3: of state grows and is invested in the economic benefit

191
00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,760
Speaker 3: of that has a local dimension to it and a

192
00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,480
Speaker 3: significant local dimension to it, and that means local contractors

193
00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,360
Speaker 3: being involved, and we're very mindful of that in the

194
00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,360
Speaker 3: way in which that investment will take place. We're working

195
00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,880
Speaker 3: very closely with local industry in respect of that. But

196
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,439
Speaker 3: we think that making sure that there is a local

197
00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:47,679
Speaker 3: economic benefit associated with these infrastructure upgrade is fundamentally important

198
00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,840
Speaker 3: in terms of the social license that Defense seeks to

199
00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,120
Speaker 3: operate within this community.

200
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,800
Speaker 1: Defense Minister Richard Miles, we really appreciate your time this morning.

201
00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:57,559
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for speaking with us.

202
00:10:58,080 --> 00:10:58,800
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.

203
00:10:58,880 --> 00:10:59,360
Speaker 2: Thank you