21 July 2015 Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon welcomes the visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works to Newcastle tomorrow, for a public hearing into the proposed RAAF Base Williamtown redevelopment Stage 2 project. As a member of the Committee, Ms Claydon will join her Parliamentary colleagues in considering proposed works to upgrade or replace ageing infrastructure at the Base, to improve capability and capacity to support current and planned demands.The project will see significant investment into the RAAF Williamtown Base located in the Newcastle electorate, with the estimated cost of the project $274 million. I look forward to again hosting the Committee at RAAF Williamtown and hearing directly from Defence officials and others who have made submissions to the inquiry, Ms Claydon said. This stage of the Base redevelopment will see an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into our regional economy. The proposed works include a provision of new office accommodation for 950 personnel and upgrades to a number of existing facilities. So there will be immediate benefits during the construction phase for local builders and demolition experts, and ongoing employment opportunities in the region. With a dearth of local investment by the Abbott Liberal Government into our region, this project is very much welcomed. Full details on the project are available on the Committees website: www.aph.gov.au/pwc Public Hearing Venue: Williamtown Hall, 2 Sanderman St, Williamtown, NSW Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2015 Time: 12.00 noon 1.00pm Members of the public are welcome to attend.