The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works will hold a public hearing on 19 September 2022 to scrutinise the Department of Defence’s proposed AIR7000 Phase 1B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System Facilities Project.

Media release issue date: Friday, 16 September 2022

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works will hold a public hearing on 19 September 2022 to scrutinise the Department of Defence’s proposed AIR7000 Phase 1B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System Facilities Project. The project will support the introduction into service of the MQ-4C Triton aircraft system (Triton). Triton is a remotely piloted high altitude long endurance aerial system designed for maritime patrol and other surveillance roles; and is equipped with a sensor suite that provides it with a view of its surroundings for over 2,000 nautical miles. At an estimated cost of $427.1 million the proposed project is intended to provide a control centre, training facilities, squadron headquarters, hangars, airfield pavements, aircraft wash point, and site wide engineering service which will support the operation of the Triton. ‘The Committee is looking forward to its first opportunity of the Parliament to scrutinise a public work, especially due to interruptions caused by the pandemic which prevented the Committee from travelling for site inspections in the 46th Parliament.’ ‘As the oldest continuing committee of the Parliament, the Deputy Chair, the Member for Hinkler, and I look forward to continuing the committee's important scrutiny of proposed public works’, Mr Graham Perret MP, Committee Chair said. Public hearing details Date: Monday, 19 September 2022 Time: 2:30pm – 3:15pm (ACST) Location: Knotts Crossing Resort, Katherine The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live Please note: the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works is not involved in the tendering process, awarding of contracts or details of the proposed works. Inquiries on these matters should be addressed to the relevant Commonwealth entities. For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4636 pwc@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.