Exactly what is the strategic advantage of the RAAF base in Willy?? Why can't it be relocated to Tindal/Darwin/Townsville (closer to the potential threat anyway) and then Willy be built into purely a civvie airport?
There is no strategic reason for it to be located where it is, other than historic. Same goes for Fleet Base East with the Navy.
Time for a rethink of these bases.
Sure, why not shift every part of the ADF to the North, out of sight of sensitive gentle civilian eyes? Bugger recruitment, bugger retention, bugger ADF members' living standards ......
If living in the North were so attractive, the population of the North would be an order of magnitude larger than it is. The fact is that most people live in the South East because they choose to do so. Why do so many people think that members of the ADF are so different?
It takes a few days to drop in to Scherger or Curtin and set up .... it takes YEARS to recover from a massive loss of valuable professional warriors.