Dave Riley, Brisbane
With the backing of Queensland Labor premier Peter Beattie and the keen endorsement of the federal ALP, Shoalwater Bay will house a military training camp for US forces.
In announcing the decision on July 15, defence minister Robert Hill was keen to stress that the facility would not be a US base. This was repeated by then federal Labor defence spokesperson Chris Evans: "There is a clear difference between permanently basing foreign troops in Australia, which Labor opposes, and joint training, which Labor supports."
The Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area was created in bushland north-east of Rockhampton in 1965. Covering 270,000 hectares on land and 180,000 hectares at sea, it is where the Australian navy, army and air force engages in joint exercises, including with international forces. It is regarded as one of only a few air weapons ranges in the world able to accommodate training with all conventional weapons.
The site was a major preparation area for troops taking part in the Vietnam War. Partnered exercises with the US have steadily escalated since then. The first major joint exercise at Shoalwater Bay, Tandem Thrust, was conducted in 1997.
Singapore also utilises Shoalwater Bay for its annual military exercises and stores equipment in the area. The federal government is citing this as a precedent for the likelihood that the US will permanently store military equipment on site.
Shoalwater Bay is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
From Green Left Weekly, July 21, 2004.
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