"It is very important that I keep faith with the people of East Arnhem Land and I certainly am determined to ensure no one feels short-changed," the Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to the Gunyangara community. Tony Abbott during his visit to remote East Arnhem Land. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Well-placed sources said it was likely that Mr Abbott would fly to Amberley RAAF Base, 40 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, on Thursday to farewell those who are being deployed to the United Arab Emirates. Amberley is the home base of the RAAF's 1 and 6 Squadrons, which fly the Super Hornet fighter aircraft. Mr Abbott has flagged sending up to eight of the jets to be on standby in the Middle East ahead of air strike operations in Iraq, as well as an aerial refuelling plane and a Wedgetail "command and control" aircraft, which paints a sophisticated picture of the battlefield and ensures all allied forces can talk to one another. The Prime Minister also confirmed that some of the 600 troops to be deployed to Iraq had already left from Australia, though he declined to confirm reports that they were SAS troops.

Other troops left from Sydney airport on Tuesday, bound for the Middle East. Tony Abbott. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Abbott is conscious that he is the seventh prime minister to have dealt with Mr Yunupingu, a leader of the Gumatj clan and a former Australian of the Year, and of the failure of those who have gone before him to match good intentions with results. "I understand there have been previous prime ministerial visits to Yirrkala but I'm absolutely convinced that there has never been a prime minister who spent several days in camp at Gulkula," he said. The Prime Minister arrived at Gulkula, the site of the annual Garma festival, on Sunday and has been sleeping in an army tent, along with other ministers and a team of bureaucrats. Yesterday he was joined by Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. His program winds up on Friday.

The Prime Minister said the military force would undertake a certain amount of training once they arrived in the region. He also indicated he would wait until after the key United Nations Security Council meeting in New York next week before making the final decision to deploy forces to Iraq. "Obviously the Security Council meeting, which President Obama is chairing towards the end of next week, is quite significant. So, we will make decisions as and when they are required," he said. Loading Mr Abbott said the special force that Australia is sending to the region would act as advisers, based out of headquarters at the level of a battalion, which typically consists of several hundred soldiers. Defence sources and experts have indicated that the SAS will be closely involved with Iraqi and Kurdish forces carrying out combat missions, and will also gather reconnaissance and direct air strikes. Follow us on Twitter