Defence pushes for $600m upgrade to Woomera Range and $76m works at Cultana
Parts of the Woomera Range have not been upgraded since the 1950s — now Defence is looking at a near-$600m upgrade to bring the complex facilities up to date, and at Cultana.
The Australian Defence Force wants the Government to invest nearly $600 million in upgrading facilities at the Woomera Range and $76 million at the Cultana Training Area in South Australia.
Facilities at Woomera are long overdue for work, according to Major Teresa Pexton, of Defence’s Capital Facilities and Infrastructure branch.
“The Woomera Range Complex has not seen significant investment in its facilities or infrastructure since the 1980s and in some areas no infrastructure investment has been made since the initial construction in the 1950s and ’60s,” she said.
The projects will need approval from the Federal Government with Defence still in the early planning stages.
“The Woomera Range Complex (part of the Woomera Prohibited Area) is valued for its ability to support development of new technologies and capabilities due to its size, security and remoteness,” Major Pexton said.
“It was identified in the 2016 Defence White Paper as a key enabler.
“It is for these reasons that significant investment in its upgrade are now being considered with a total project cost of $595 million.
“The high-level infrastructure requirements include repair, refurbishment or replacement of the majority of facilities and service infrastructure at the Range and Rangehead, the airfield and technical area (RAAF Base Woomera), the Scale A camp and the Woomera Village.
“Services infrastructure that serves the whole of the Woomera Range Complex — for example substations, ICT provision, sewerage and water supply reticulation is also in need of repair, refurbishment or replacement.”
Addressing the Global Maintenance Upper Spencer Gulf conference in Port Pirie on Thursday, Major Pexton said SA contractors could bid for work if they satisfy Defence registration and policy requirements, subject to the project being approved.
In 2016, the Federal Government awarded a $297 million contract to Raytheon Australia for delivery of new digital monitoring and communication equipment on the Woomera Test Range to support Defence programs.
Major Pexton said an upgrade at Cultana — south of Port Augusta — was already in progress with $45.9 million awarded to companies based in the region for roads and other project works.
Defence is now considering a further $76 million investment in a second phase of the upgrade.
This would include further roadworks, including an underpass below the Lincoln Hwy, and accommodation camp infrastructure.
Defence also wants to expand the urban operations training facility at Cultana and develop a combined arms range.
Major Pexton stressed that the projects needed to secure government and parliamentary approvals and funding but anticipated construction starting at Cultana in mid-2021 and at Woomera in 2023.
