Gosling wants of regional coercion as Pitch Black continues in Top End skies
A federal politician has spoken of the coercion that’s threatening regional security. Read what was said at the Future NT forum.
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Australia faces the most serious strategic circumstances since World War II with Chinese coercion impacting the regional balance and breaching the rules-based-order, a senior Territory MP told a business conference in Darwin on Thursday.
Speaking at the Future Northern Territory conference at Darwin’s Mindil Beach Casino Resort, Solomon MP Luke Gosling said air forces from 21 countries were currently in Australia for Exercise Pitch Black, reasserting global alliances that he said were currently being tested.
“We face the most serious strategic circumstances since World War Two,” Mr Gosling said. “If you doubt that have a chat to the Filipinos who continue to be coerced.
“What we want is a regional balance of power where no one nation uses the ‘might is right’ rule or ‘do what we say or else’.
“It has become very congested in the South China Sea and that is an issue for us because we are an exporting nation and we cannot abide by a situation where our freedoms and our supply lines are affected.
“So what that means, and this is what the Defence Strategic Review said, is that we need to have a strong and present deterrent … so that we can run the combined operations that we do up here because the more interoperable we are, the better that we will be able to deter any aggressors to keep the regions open, free and that’s a big responsibility of us up here.”
Mr Gosling said increases in federal defence budget allocations meant up to $50bn would be spent over the next decade, much of that in northern Australia.
“We’re going to get a big chunk of that up here for our bases, but we need to be able to support not only Australian operations but also our allied partner operations out of northern Australia.”
Beyond the military risk Mr Gosling praised Sitzler, which is midway through a $747m contract to upgrade Robertson Barracks, Kangaroo Flats, Mount Bundey and Bradshaw field training areas.
“That’s all working for local business and it’s good for Territorians in getting jobs as well, but the main aim of it is that we’re prepared for any future contingencies.”
Referencing aircraft noise during Pitch Black, Mr Gosling thanked Top End residents living below the steady thrum of jet engines.
“I just thank everyone that doesn’t really get excited by jet engines for their forbearance,” he said. “I do get a couple of calls into our electorate office to talk about the noise.
“Sometimes these top gun types want to jam on the thrusters because it makes them feel good going over some of our suburbs, so we just need to make sure that they realise our community is hosting this exercise.”
He called on any civil aviation businesses being impacted by Pitch Black to contact his electorate office with their concerns.
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