In Alice Springs everyone has an opinion on the Pine Gap spy base, but no-one wants to talk about what happens inside

In Alice Springs everyone has an opinion on the Pine Gap spy base, but no-one wants to talk about what happens insideBut in my outback town, it's just as likely to be the neighbours who won't, or rather can't, answer this basic conversation starter: "So, what do you do at work?"

My curiosity grew and the book Peace Crimes, written by long-term local journalist Kieran Finnane, motivated me to start looking deeper. The Pine Gap intelligence-gathering facility is often described as the jewel in the crown of our military partnership with the United States.Arrernte elder Felicity Hayes took me to Kuyunba Conservation Reserve. Her family’s land runs alongside and inside Pine Gap’s gates. She brings her kids to this side of the fence to learn about culture.

But how do you investigate something as secretive as Pine Gap when everyone who works there has made a promise never to talk about what they do? There were serious claims being made that intelligence gathered at the facility was being used in the Israel-Gaza war.This spy base, which became operational in 1970 during the Cold War, had expanded through the decades in scale and capability and was more relevant than ever.

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