Twofold Bay gets approval July 24, 2000 Federal Parliament has approved a $40 million ammunitioning facility to be built at Twofold Bay at Eden in NSW. The facility will comprise a multi-purpose wharf and a separate munitions storage area. They will replace ammunitioning arrangements which operated in Sydney Harbour until last December. Since the closure of the Newington magazine in December RAN ships have been using an interim ammunitioning arrangement at Port Wilson in Victoria. The Eden proposal has been subject of a detailed public information program and an environmental impact statement. The Federal Government's Public Works Committee is satisfied, subject to guarantees of environmental safeguards, that the project should proceed. The Twofold Bay location is close to the Sydney fleet base and the RAN's exercise area off the NSW coast. When the facility comes into operation it will deliver cost savings in reduced steaming times over the interim arrangements at Port Wilson. Construction will start early next year and will be finished in the first half of 2002. The wharf will be available for commercial use for up to 80 percent of the time. The decision to approve construction of the new facility at Eden will provide local spin-offs. It will provide 70 jobs during construction and local firms will have an opportunity to tender for much of the work. The wharf is expected to provide a much needed boost to long-term employment in the region through the development of commercial industry and is strongly supported by the State and local governments as well as the local community.