Mayor welcomes defence announcement

Charters Towers Regional Council Mayor Frank Beveridge has congratulated CPB Contractors after they were awarded the tender for the Charters Towers Greenvale Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) project near Greenvale, 200km north of Charters Towers.

The project is part of a $2.25 billion investment by the Singapore government to build a training area at Greenvale and expand the existing one at Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton.

Mayor Beveridge said Charters Towers Regional Council has worked closely with the Department of Defence to identify opportunities for local businesses to participate in the development of the new training area.

“This announcement is a very positive step in the development of the region-changing project,” Mayor Beveridge said.

“There’s a huge opportunity for local businesses to capitalise on this investment.”

“CPB Contractors have committed to sourcing 90 percent of work from the North Queensland area.

“Council has been proactive in advocating for this commitment and will be looking to retain a share of this for our local government area, but it is also up to local businesses to bid for the business.

“There’s opportunities to get involved not only in the construction and development of the training area, but also ongoing.”

Mayor Beveridge said the Council is looking forward to working with CPB Contractors to help identify more opportunities for local businesses.

“We have a dedicated webpage for updates about the project,” he said.

“Currently the Get Defence Ready online tutorials are available on the site and we are planning to hold a workshop on how to bid for defence and other government business in the new year.”

“These are important steps to take ahead of the planning and design work starting next year and major works in 2022.

“I really encourage local businesses to understand how they can get involved,” Mayor Beveridge said.

Up to 14,000 Singapore Armed Forces will train in Queensland for up to 18 weeks each year once the initiative reaches maturity.