Submission to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee into the impact of Defence training activities and facilities on rural and regional communities by John Cox Summary Increased security at Defence bases is negatively impacting the relationship between local communities and Defence organisations. The reduced access to bases has economic and social impacts for both the community and Defence. A solution is to locate select facilities that require lesser levels of security outside the high security perimeters of bases. Examples are Navy, Army and Airforce Museums. While the museums are used principally in the training of ADF members, museums also serve a valuable purpose in linking communities to the Defence Force. Regional military units need strong links with regional communities; they are neighbours and cooperative arrangements help both parties. It is common for members of local communities to become volunteers as guides and researchers at Defence museums. Social and economic bonds are strengthened through museums attracting visitors from distances away from a rural and regional community. Increased visitation helps local economies. And it helps Defence in connecting to Australians, particularly in support of recruitment. The proposed Armour and Artillery Museum at Puckapunyal/Seymour in Victoria is only one and a half hours drive from Melbourne’s northern and inner suburbs. A day trip from a major population centre is highly marketable and increases visits. The museum project is worth over $20 million. Such investment should be shared with the broader community where possible. Social bonds extend to training at Defence museum facilities for school and tertiary students undertaking related studies. Student training has been undertaken at military museums Australia wide. Museums outside security boundaries make these opportunities more accessible. Museums have supervised people undertaking work on Community Service Orders. A museum outside a secure base increases the likelihood of this option being used. Seymour is a rail centre on a main line connecting to Melbourne to the south and the major rural towns of Benalla, Wangaratta and the Albury/Wodonga to the north. Puckapunyal to Seymour is 15 minutes driving time. Could land be found for the museum near Seymour railway station, perhaps through an arrangement with the Victorian State Government? It would markedly increase the attractiveness of Seymour as a destination. Additionally Seymour is essentially on the Hume Freeway with its enormous traffic flow and a road means of accessing a museum. A museum in walking distance of the Seymour station would experience much increased visitation, further connecting Defence with the community. If located away from a town centre, a regional community and Defence cooperative arrangement to create a Defence Museum Community Park, collocated with a museum, is suggested to extend the interaction and bonds with the community. The ‘park’ component would be jointly funded and operated through a Memorandum of Agreement between Defence and a local Council. Scaled to suit the circumstances, a ‘Park’ might include a netball and basketball court, cricket nets, a simple shelter and a bar-b-que (for example). 1 Recommendations The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee consider including in its final report the following recommendations: • “Defence is urged to hasten the build of the Australian Army Armour and Artillery museum in the Puckapunyal/Seymour area and use it as a model for establishing a balance between Army’s training needs and engagement with the community”. • “Defence and Local Communities are urged to create Defence Museum Community Parks (through a Memorandum of Agreement) for the provision and maintenance of (for example); netball and basketball courts, cricket nets and a bar-b-que collocated with Defence museums in regional areas.” • Existing Recommendation 4.7 The committee recommends that Defence review the accessibility of military museums located within Defence bases and investigate options to improve access and increase visitor numbers. Rural and Regional Communities and Defence Museums Access This submission strongly agrees with the Committees Fourth interim report: Recommendation 4.7 The committee recommends that Defence review the accessibility of military museums located within Defence bases and investigate options to improve access and increase visitor numbers. Community access to military museums on Defence Bases is difficult. It can be resolved by locating museums outside a base high security boundary or establishing them within the community itself, collocated with other facilities such as recreational centres or libraries, and/or near major transport hubs and routes. Army museums are located near training schools so course members can gain technical understanding and esprit de corps from the displays in the museums. Trainee use of museums will not suffer if the museum is located just outside a base high security perimeter or nearby, adjacent to a close town. For example, it is only 15 minutes driving time from Puckapunyal to Seymour. Benefits: Win-Win The Australian Defence Force’s volunteer workforce is recruited from the Australian community. The Australian Defence Force needs city, regional and rural communities to hold positive attitudes to service in the ADF. Recruitment of high quality capable people is challenging and needs to draw on all Australians. Regionally and rurally located bases offer opportunities to engage the local population and build positive relationships that create the conditions for consideration of Defence service. Economically healthy rural and regional communities with good employment opportunities facilitate the development of young Australians into motivated and educated members of the Australian workforce. The presence of Defence bases should result in flow-on effects from increased expenditure to rural and regional communities. The opportunities are diminished the more a Defence base becomes a closed community. This is to the detriment of both the community and Defence. 2 Defence Bases have been embedded in regional areas since before Federation and especially between the World Wars. They often contain unit history rooms or military museums that serve to conserve and display Australian military heritage. Many of these collections are housed in buildings or barracks that in themselves represent a historical record that belongs to all Australians. After all, it is the not too distant ancestors of today’s Australians who served their country in conflicts. It is a connection that should continue to be nurtured for both the interests of Defence and rural and regional communities. Whilst serving military members have ready access to these collections for the purpose of training, military history and research, community members may find it difficult to visit due to security measures to protect bases. Defence regional recruiting relies heavily on local engagement and the collections provide a focal point for those who are interested in the military. It is well documented that successful military recruiting is predicated on “multiple touches” with prospective applicants being influenced by a number of contacts most commonly through advertising, publications and displays to arouse interest. Ready access to military museums provides strong support for mainstream recruitment messaging. Schools look to military museums in the first term of the year to reference and bring to life Australian military history in the lead up to ANZAC Day. Tertiary students undertaking curatorial and museum management studies have previously undertaken temporary placements in Defence museums. Tertiary students would look to undertake more research where military museums are easily accessed. A Model Opportunity The proposed Australian Army Armour and Artillery Museum to be built on the boundary of the Puckapunyal Military Area within 5 years is a sensible approach to reduce the restrictions on access to the community. It is anticipated that visitor numbers will be substantial having economic and social benefits for the Town of Seymour as well as the wider community. Increased visitor flow generates service, business and infrastructure requirements that have multiplier effects. The construction of the museum would also provide employment opportunities for local people as well as possible tenders for the project itself. Consideration might be given to building the Armour and Artillery Museum in a location that is easily accessible to visitation from Seymour town centre. Locating it nearer to Seymour could have significant access benefits, making it a more attractive destination for day trippers from Melbourne, Albury/Wodonga and Bendigo. Seymour is an historic railway town with regular services to and from Melbourne with its large urban population, and north to the rural centres of Benalla, Wangaratta and Wodonga. Additionally the town is adjacent to the junction of the Hume Freeway and Goulbourn Valley Highway providing quick access from major population centres between Sydney and Melbourne. Such a drawcard would bring day trippers to the site and town from around the region as well as cities, bringing the economic and social benefits arising from increased numbers. ‘Grey nomads’ who are often influencers on grandchildren’s career choices should be a target for visitation. Locating the museum reasonably close to Seymour complements the existing military attractions