Defence Force Update - Where is the Master Plan?

ADF Troops - Photo by ABC

The expansion of the ADF Shoalwater Bay Training Facilities and the Townsville/Charters Towers Facilities are a political football at the moment. For families caught in the crossfire, there were ADF visits in Charters Towers, Marlborough, Rockhampton and Stanage Bay this week. The hastily organised meetings were not advertised widely until only days before the ADF attended these meetings.

Where is the Master Plan?

The eagerly awaited Master Plan was not released to those directly affected. The timelines for the Business Case have not changed and neither has frankly anything changed from the meetings held late last year.

It seems the Master Plan is a difficult beast for the ADF to deal with as the recent announcement of “no forced sales”, the ADF has had to change their plans for the area. The ADF now needs to do some re-design and rethink their project as the willing sellers make themselves known.

The Master Plan is not likely to be released publically at all now to the disappointment of those affected by the announcements. There are only a few days left for people to make submissions to the socio-economic impact report. However, one wonders how a proper submission can be made to the report now, without the details of the Master Plan being released.

"Willing Sellers"

“Willing Sellers” are able to sell their land through two means with the ADF.

Advice needs to be sought regarding which option is best for those Sellers. The first way to sell to the ADF is “on the market”. This means that you approach the ADF and advise that you are interested in entering into negotiations to sell your land. If the negotiations fail, then obviously the Sellers don’t sell. If an Agreement can be reached by the parties then a contract is signed. These negotiated agreements can include anything (eg, leaseback arrangements, disturbance costs, professional costs and most importantly the timing for payments).

Once the Business Case is completed in June/July (more like August) then the ADF will announce their Land Acquisition Strategy. There will then be a gazetting process and some declarations. After these gazettes are issued, the second means of “selling” activates. That is that Sellers can still sell their land by agreement with the ADF, but the process will be in the hands of the Department of Finance and some timeframes and other options will change.

Your Land is Safe For Now

After the visits this week, we can say that the announcement of “no forced sales” has not changed. There will be still no “compulsory acquisitions” once those gazettes start. However; with neighbouring properties being sold, and the ADF plans still being formalised, the decision on whether or not to sell is something that people should consider carefully. Landowners may be concerned about such matters as neighbouring ADF boundaries, feeling “squeezed”, possible changes to road arrangements.  Once the decision to sell has been made, the two means to sell the Land above also need careful thought.

Melanie Findlay is a rural agribusiness specialist who has negotiated many compensation/resumption matters with government departments, mining and gas companies.

Contact rural agribusiness specialist, Melanie Findlay on (07) 4927 6333 or at enquire@reesjones.com.au

Have Your Say About the Marlborough Australian Defence Force Expansion

Crowd at Marlborough Town Hall - Photo by ABC

The proposed expansion of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area has caused plenty of talk in the community recently.

What Stage Is The Project At?

The proposal is currently in the "master plan" stage.  As part of the "business plan" process and to help understand the effects of the expansion on the community and Queensland economy, the Defence force are undertaking a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of the proposed expansion.

The Defence Force has already been in contact with directly affected property owners; however this Impact Assessment provides an opportunity for any member of the community to provide feedback on the proposal.

Who Is Conducting The Impact Assessment?

The Assessment is being conducted by independent advisory firm KPMG. 

What Will The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment Look At?

The assessment will consider all current and future socio-economic impacts of the Singapore Military Training Initiative. This process will include analysing things like the economic flow on effect of the extended military training program and the upgrading/expansion of the training area.

For example the assessment may look at the increase in demand on public facilities (eg say pressure on the Base Hospital) or the increase in say tourism activities and construction work for businesses in town.

Alternately it will also look at the effects of the loss of large cattle numbers from the area and the flow on effects for Rockhampton businesses who are involved in the agricultural supply chain.

How Can I Share My Views On The Expansion Proposal?

If you would like to share your thoughts on the proposed expansion, whether good, bad or ugly, you can obtain a copy of the Submission Form from the Defence force website and either email, post or fax it to KPMG. Further details on how to participate can be found here.

http://www.defence.gov.au/Initiatives/SingaporeTraining/Assessment.asp

As part of the consultation process, KPMG will also meet face-to-face with stakeholder representatives; however the dates for these consultations are still to be advised.

Amy Gudmann is a Solicitor in the Environment, Energy and Agribusiness Team at Rees R & Sydney Jones.