THE HON. DR MIKE KELLY MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support
Thursday, 22 April 2010
019/2010
Dr Kelly visits Robertson Barracks and HMAS Coonawarra
The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, Dr Mike Kelly and the Member for
Solomon, Damian Hale, today visited Robertson Barracks, home of the Australian
Army’s 1st Brigade, and HMAS Coonawarra near Darwin
Whilst at the Barracks, Dr Kelly took the opportunity to meet with both senior Army
leadership and the soldiers.
“Visits such as this are a great opportunity for me to meet with the men and women
who serve our country so well.” Dr Kelly said. “It allows me to speak with them at the
coal face and keep up to date with the great work of the Australian Defence Force
(ADF).”
Robertson Barracks is in the process of receiving over $70 million worth of
infrastructure upgrades and Dr Kelly was able to examine the areas where these
projects will benefit both the ADF and the local community and businesses.
“Since becoming the Member for Solomon I have worked closely with ADF members
and their families in Darwin, to represent their interests to my colleagues,” Mr Hale
said.
The Parliamentary Secretary also took the opportunity to address the soldiers as they
prepare for ANZAC Day on the weekend.
“I think it is vitally important that our soldiers hear from those people who represent
them and the larger defence organisation in Canberra. Many of the soldiers at
Robertson are preparing to deploy later in the year to overseas missions including
Afghanistan and Timor Leste, upholding a fine tradition of operational deployment,”
Dr Kelly said.
“I particularly wanted to pass on the Government’s thanks for the challenging work
ADF members are undertaking across the globe.”
After his time at Robertson Barracks, the Parliamentary Secretary moved to HMAS
Coonawarra in Darwin and met with the senior ADF representative in the Northern
Territory, Captain Tony O’Malley RAN, Acting Commander Northern Command.
Dr Kelly took the opportunity to meet with officers and sailors from the Darwin based
Patrol Boat fleet. “These men and women are incredibly busy at the moment,
patrolling the waters off Northern Australia. They have an incredibly important job to
do and they are doing it exceptionally well.” Dr Kelly said.
Further Information:
Elyse Gatt (Dr Mike Kelly): 02 6277 4840 or 0437 502 246
NEWS 
