A local business has delivered an $8m Defence driving range at Robertson Barracks

A new $8m state-of-the-art driver training range at Robertson Barracks will help upskill Australian and United States military personnel - and the project has a Territory twist.

Australian and United States military personnel now have access to a state-of-the-art, $8m driver training range at Robertson Barracks.

The 4km circuit is the first completed package under the Australian-funded United States force posture initiative infrastructure program.

This includes the $747m NT training areas and ranges upgrade which is currently under way at Robertson, Kangaroo Flats, Mount Bundey and Bradshaw training areas.

AKJ Services owners Jessie Risk and Antal Reti.

Defence engaged NT company Sitzler to manage the project which in-turn secured 100 per cent Larrakia-owned and operated civil construction company AKJ Services to deliver the works.

AKJ owner and co-director Jessie Risk said the company attended an industry engagement session hosted by Sitzler in 2021 and were chosen from four other businesses in a select tender process.

Early works began last February and the main works began as the Dry was starting.

“It was the perfect time to let an earth works project and road works package,” Ms Risk said. “We found a nice location under the trees for a site compound and at the peak we had about 25 people employed there.”

Work has ended on the $8m joint US-Australian defence driver training range at Robertson Barracks.

Starting with bush clearing, the project included construction of roads, a round-a-bout, a waiting shelter, ablution block, height restricted bridge and a mock railway crossing.

AKJ’s workforce was 18 per cent Indigenous, exceeding the 8 per cent target and also achieved a 19 per cent Indigenous supply chain target, above the 4 per cent target.

Overall about 35 per cent of AKJ’s employees are Indigenous and most of those are Larrakia.

AKJ partnered with M & J Builders as well as Larrakia-owned start-up business JER Civil for grader services to deliver the driver training venue.

The company has also recruited graduates from the Clontarf Academy onto their books.

AKJ is a partnership between Ms Risk, a qualified teacher and partner Antal Reti, a civil engineer. The ‘K’ in their title is Ms Risk’s father Keith Risk who was there in 2018 when the company was formed.

AKJ Services managing director and co-founder Jessie Risk.

With an $8m roads project at Kangaroo Flats training area also on their books, the importance of Defence contracts to emerging businesses is obvious.

“Defence has been a great opportunity and allowed our company to grow substantially and also allowed a Larrakia business to work on country and employ our people and deliver some meaningful outcomes,” Ms Risk said.

At last year’s Industry Black Business Awards, AKJ was named NT Black Business of the Year and Ms Risk was named Black Female Business Owner.

A Defence spokesman said about 150 people were employed during the project life.

“The driver training area supports both Australian Defence Force personnel and visiting military partners in the handling of the military fleet of vehicles and familiarisation with some of the challenges associated with driving in remote areas of the Northern Territory,” the spokesman said.

“The 4km track, which is now operational, provides a safe, controlled space for drivers to practice urban, highway and dirt driving that replicates Northern Territory road conditions on sealed and unsealed roads.”

Originally published as A local business has delivered an $8m Defence driving range at Robertson Barracks