Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Melbourne to remain in public hands after partial backtrack on defence property selloff
Summary
The Australian government will keep four heritage-listed defence sites in public hands after public opposition to a wider property selloff. Once defence personnel leave, the sites are to be preserved and opened for community use, with the Australian War Memorial helping interpret their military history.Key Facts
- The four sites are Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff and RAAF Base Point Cook in Victoria.
- An independent audit identified the sites as underused, costly to maintain or unsuitable for defence needs.
- The government had earmarked 67 defence properties for sale to help recoup $3 billion in the federal budget.
- The expected sale proceeds from the Sydney and Melbourne Victoria Barracks alone were $1.3 billion.
- Public campaigners, veterans and former prime ministers John Howard and Paul Keating opposed selling the heritage-listed sites.
- The government plans to work with the Australian War Memorial to turn the vacated sites into public spaces that explain Australia’s military history.
- The audit was completed in 2023 and identified surplus or costly defence property holdings.
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