Australian soldier killed in training accident at Mount Bundey, NT

Vehicle rollover during exercise

A 28-year-old Australian Army corporal, Brendan Hannam, died on Monday afternoon when a vehicle rolled over during a training exercise at the Mount Bundey Training Area, southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Sources differ on the exact distance from Darwin: ABC reports about 100 kilometres, while SBS and BBC put it at roughly 130 kilometres. Five other soldiers were injured; two remain in stable condition at Royal Darwin Hospital, while the other three are being monitored in a hospital ward at Robertson Barracks, according to SBS.

Who was Brendan Hannam

Hannam had served in Afghanistan and more recently trained Ukrainian soldiers alongside British armed forces. He is survived by a partner and two young children. Chief of Army Lieutenant General Susan Coyle described him as a much-loved junior leader who "would give the shirt off his back for anybody" and said he had aspired to become a medical technician in the army.

Response and investigation

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles offered condolences to the families involved, with Marles noting that training "carries risk" even outside combat. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said two injured soldiers were flown by helicopter and three more by plane to Royal Darwin Hospital on Monday evening. The scene has been secured by military police, and the Army's Land Accident Investigation Board will carry out a formal inquiry; NT Police, led by Commissioner Martin Dole, is assisting on behalf of the coroner.

Background

Mount Bundey, used regularly by the Australian Army and allied forces for live-fire exercises, is the same site where soldier Jason Challis was fatally shot in the head during a training exercise in 2017 — an incident a 2019 coronial inquest called "shambolic" and preventable, after which the Defence Department pleaded guilty to a workplace safety breach. Monday's death is the second Australian soldier fatality this year, following the death of paratrooper Lachlan Muddle in a mid-air collision during a training exercise at Jervis Bay airfield in New South Wales in May.