Media Release: COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT RFS OPERATIONS AT ALBATROSS DEFENCE BASE

28 February 2025

The Albanese Government is ensuring the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service has access to RAAF Base Richmond, RAAF Base Williamtown and HMAS Albatross to support aerial firefighting operations with an extension to the current agreement through to 2029.

This agreement provides greater certainty to the NSW RFS and ensure they can continue to protect the local communities and our environment through aerial firefighting operations facilitated from these Defence bases.

The NSW Rural Fire Service is the world’s largest volunteer fire service, providing fire and emergency services to approximately 95 percent of NSW.

Defence has provided valuable support to our emergency services over the years, including in the Black Summer bushfires, the 2022 Eastern Australia floods, and most recently, the North Queensland floods.

Defence has a strong relationship with the NSW Rural Fire Service:

For example, in February 2024, soldiers teamed up with NSW Rural Fire Service to practise underslung cargo lifts with one of their helicopters at RAAF Base Richmond as part of a new joint training agreement.
Through this training agreement, both parties can rely on each other as dependable training resources when required.

Defence has provided NSW Rural Fire Service with access to Defence sites over the past decade.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy:

“This commitment provides important certainty for the RFS and supports their critical work to keep Australians and communities safe from bushfires.”

“This relationship goes to the heart of the concepts of national defence and resilience, as outlined in the National Defence Strategy, by bolstering the NSW Rural Fire Service’s ability to respond to natural disasters.”

“It is a further demonstration of the outcomes that can be achieved through greater partnerships between the Commonwealth, states, territories and industry.”

Quotes attributable to the Federal Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips:

“We all know how important HMAS Albatross is both for defence and in times of natural disaster.”

“Local defence members and the RFS always work together so well, which is why I’m really pleased to see the lease agreement extended.”

“Whether fire, flood or storms, our defence members and emergency services play a crucial role in keeping our South Coast community safe.”