Defence dollars flow in the north

AFTER years of talk, a surge of military money is finally flowing into infrastructure investment in the north-west.

About $1.3 billion of projects funded by Australian and US forces are under way or confirmed above the 26th parallel, according to analysis by Business News.

It is a sector communities across the north-west are working to get their slice of.

The investment and job opportunities are attractive to regional towns, but the main lure is the population a defence presence would bring.

And there is no shortage of pitches to the military to bring the cavalry to town.

In February, the Shire of Ashburton proposed using mothballed mines and the vast landscape as a testing ground for the AS9 Huntsman howitzer and AS21 Redback infantry fighting vehicle in the art of desert warfare.

It also wants unmanned Ghostbat drones and other Boeing aircraft to be put through their paces in the Pilbara skies.

Pannawonica, a closed Rio Tinto mining town, was singled out as a site that could be recalibrated to service the armed forces once the miner no longer needed it.

The City of Karratha has long argued the case for a larger deployment of personnel through the Pilbara Regiment, which is headquartered in town, and more defence spending to protect the billions of dollars’ worth of resources assets on the Burrup Peninsula.

In August, meanwhile, Gina Rinehart used a speech at The Australian newspaper’s Bush Summit in Port Hedland, which she sponsored, to call for the deployment of an iron dome, war drones and smart sea mines in the Pilbara to protect iron ore assets and shipping routes.

Broome and Kununurra get semi-regular visits from fighter jets training out of Darwin or Curtin Airbase near Derby, which is subject to a $244 million upgrade.

Both have made arguments for more permanent infrastructure and deployments.

But it’s Exmouth where the big money is being spent.

Existing naval, space surveillance, air force infrastructure, and a long association with the US and Australian armed forces have made the small North West Cape town the obvious choice for expansion.

Shire of Exmouth president Matt Niikkula said the town was eager to encourage a visible defence personnel presence.

“Exmouth is a defence town, started as a defence town, and it still maintained that all the way through, especially with the US investment in the area,” he said.

“The rotational force that they’re talking about … it is a great thing for our community.

“Defence is that major player in underwriting local economies. We see it as something that is always there, and it can get along with so many other industries that work around it.”

Georgiou Group has built a large work camp behind Naval Communication Station Harold E Holt, where a $64 million renewable energy upgrade is under way to reduce dependency on diesel for backup power.

About $350 million will be spent refurbishing the navy pier, building a new base entry, security, and road upgrades to extend the base’s life.

Tenders are expected to go out for that project in late 2025. South of town, $600 million will be spent redeveloping RAAF Base Learmonth to accommodate KC 30A air tankers with new lighting, taxiways, aprons and a more durable runway.

CIMIC’s CPB contractors last year signed on for early development work, which is expected to be completed this year.

The whole project is due for a 2028 finish. Australian government funds are not the only currency flying into Exmouth.

The US Space Force has sunk $510 million into building a deep space surveillance radar.

In August, the US Department of Defense flagged Learmonth and Curtin airbases for rotational deployments of P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, F35 fighters, and bombers.

Defence money is also encouraging for private investors.

The backers of Gascoyne Gateway – a privately funded marine complex and renewables hub proposed for the Exmouth Gulf – have long seen the defence sector as a user of its $450 million deepwater port.

Deep, protected water, proximity to major trade routes and existing bases, and ability to get submarines to depth quickly make a compelling case for such a use, according to Gascoyne Gateway chief executive Daniel Jackson.

“Having key logistic nodes that can support maritime and air force operations in the north-west is vitally important,” Mr Jackson said.

“Further north, you have significant tidal change, significant congestion, you are constrained tactically.

“While a warship can come into Port Hedland and places like that and grab a drop of fuel if they were desperate, they are not ideal.

“Look at the congestion and complexity of Henderson, too, which is only going to increase … as Submarine Rotational Force – West beefs up.

“Having an alternative location closer to the area of operation, where you can keep operational vessels up there dropping in for fuel, light maintenance, rest and recreation, picking up some food … and getting back out there. A deepwater facility can achieve that.”

The port has been designed to accommodate vessels (except large carriers) from the fleets of all Five Eyes nations: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and UK.

Mr Jackson said Gascoyne Gateway would help solve problems presented by Exmouth’s existing bases.

“Every drop of aviation fuel currently comes from 1,400 kilometres away,” he said.

“Having a deepwater port facility twenty-five kilometres away that can bring in fuel is obviously a much better logistic solution.

“The purpose of the Harold E Holt Navy Pier is direct import of fuel … that was built in the 1960s.

“It is aged, it is surrounded by the World Heritage marine park, it is quite exposed, it is designed really for a single purpose, it is not conducive with warships, submarines and so forth.

“Being able to have capacity to surge, whether it is for training or warlike activities, or enhanced protection of that region with more vessels operating and projecting from that area, you want to be able to have enough fuel storage to do that.”

Mr Jackson said the Royal Australian Navy would need alternative locations to re-arm vessels and transfer ordinance, as well as options for biodiesels and sustainable aviation fuels.

As defence construction ramps up in Exmouth, businesses elsewhere in the north-west remain hopeful of securing a ticket to the show.

The RAAF has been scouring the region for more fuel bunkering sites at civilian and mine site runways.

Meanwhile, in the background, Multiplex has been planning the Curtin Airbase redevelopment, procurement for which it hopes will begin this year.

The company told a Broome forum earlier this year it was targeting 90 to 95 per cent WA procurement, and anticipated up to $30 million would be spent in the Kimberley.