With the Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, the Australian requirement for more self-reliance in defence is clearly necessary. Sure, we have allies and security deals, but you do not want to solely rely on such measures.

Looking at what has happened in Ukraine, with support of NATO and a number of countries, the Ukrainian resistance has been fierce, they have humbled the second largest military in the world. This was all without an effective navy or air force, however, Ukrainian ground forces have molested the Russians so badly that they do not have air superiority over Ukraine. As we have seen, they are vulnerable in places where they thought they were safe.

Australia needs a strong navy, as an exporting nation, we require protection of our sea lanes and our critical infrastructure. As a regional power, harassment of enemy shipping prevents their resupply as well as offensive moves, air power will play a major role in the engagement of enemy shipping.

Whilst I would not consider Indonesia a major threat to Australia, a naval force traversing through the Indonesian archipelago does constitute a threat to Australian sovereignty. This is where the Royal Australian Air Force will be vital in protecting national interests. The F-35 will be vital in protecting the Australian mainland from naval attack, this is way too close to the Australian mainland to be comfortable.

According to official figures, the straight line range of the F-35 is 2200 km, RAAF Base Williamtown in NSW is 3938 km, so the aircraft is unable to fly from RAAF Base Learmonth to Perth without refuelling. Darwin to Perth distance is 2653 km, still outside the listed range of the F-35, so aircraft cannot get to Western Australia without refuelling requirements.

That is just getting there, they then require fuel for operations, so there may be two indirect refuelling actions required. It is feasible that Chinese naval vessels could approach vital mining and port facilities on the west coast through Indonesia. There is significant oil and gas facilities in the north west region that are vulnerable to attack. It is simple, Australia requires at least one F-35 fighter Squadron based in Western Australia.

All air bases require upgrading, it would be ideal if one F-35 squadron was based at Pearce, just 35 km north of Perth and another Squadron based at RAAF Base Curtin to protect the northern approaches to Australia. It is feasible to have F-35 aircraft link up with aircraft from Darwin to provide a defensive shield.

It will be too late to upgrade facilities at RAAF Base Learmonth when we are under attack. We require infrastructure well in advance, this is fuel facilities, weapons, food and water, maintenance, and accommodation for families. In short, we need an operational base in the north west capable of defending the nation, not a strip used for two weeks once a year.