SA Defence Land Acquisition approved- Hill Halliburtonises South AustraliaAs he steps down as Defence Minister, Robert Hill is completing the militarisation of his home State of South Australia

MR Hill says that said he had written to the
leaseholders and local indigenous groups indicating his approval of the
acquisition of land near the Cultana training area, near Port Augusta.

The training centre, currently used by Army units for manoeuvre and
weapons training, will triple in size, making it one of Australia's
largest military training areas.

"This project will see an expanded range ready for use by 2009 and will
increase the Army's presence in regional South Australia, providing
significant economic benefits, particularly for Port Augusta and
Whyalla," .
"An expanded all-weather training range at Cultana will provide the
Australian Defence Force with a training area that can be used during
the northern Australian wet season and support future joint training
needs."

US and Australian troops wil utilise the Adelaide-Darwin Railway, which is 40% owned by Halliburton KBR for the next 50 years

"The planned expansion will increase the scope of combined arms
training for large mechanised formations, will allow for larger joint
live firing exercises, provide a larger area to manoeuvre the new
Abrams tanks as well as the new generation of Army assets such as the
new Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and Australian Light Armoured vehicles."

Mr Hill's quotes courtesy of news.com.au