Defence has executed its first Deed of Access for resource extraction on Defence land near Greenvale, North Queensland, as part of the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI).
The deed was signed with the Sconi Mining Operation, which is a cobalt and nickel project.
“The signing of this deed with Sconi demonstrates Defence’s commitment to coexist with the resources industry on the land that Defence has acquired for training under the ASMTI,” Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence had already entered into Deeds of Access for resource exploration with two companies who would now be able to proceed with exploring for minerals within the Greenvale Training Area.
“We also recently announced the appointment of CPB Contractors for the first phase of works for the new Defence Training Area near Greenvale,” Minister Price said.
“The construction workforce for the new Greenvale Training Area is expected to peak at 350 workers as part of the works, whilst CPB Contractors will be committed to sourcing about 90 per cent of work from the North Queensland region surrounding ASMTI.
“Upon the successful completion of the development phase of the $23.5 million contract with Defence, CPB Contractors will then be engaged to deliver the $800 million of facilities under the ASMTI with construction anticipated to commence by mid-2022.”