Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to keep Victoria Barracks in Sydney in public hands, following widespread backlash over plans for the heritage-listed site to be sold off.
The site and three others, including Victoria Barracks Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff and Point Cook (RAAF Williams), will be transferred from Defence to the Finance department.
Victoria Barracks in Sydney is one of the most high-profile of 67 Defence sites that were due to be sold after an independent estate audit in February this year, in a bid to generate $1.8 billion for the government.
The projected sale of the site, with its 166-year history, spurred widespread backlash from all sides of the political spectrum, with the Coalition, Greens, teal independents and One Nation all condemning the move.
Former prime minister John Howard, joining a recent protest against the sale, accused the government of “indifference to our proud national and military history”.
Mr Albanese said the site was no longer for sale.
“Victoria Barracks Sydney has a special place in our nation’s history — and we will be keeping it in public hands,”
Mr Albanese said.
“This program creates opportunities to open Defence’s historic sites and buildings to the public, and to commemorate our nation’s history.”
The prime minister has said the sites will not be sold. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Defence is the country’s biggest landholder, with 70 major bases and 3.8 million hectares of land.
Minister for Defence Richard Marles said personnel would be moved off the properties and they would be opened up to the public, adding that Defence sites needed to be “fit for purpose”.
“Given the strategic landscape we face, we cannot afford to be wasting money,” he said.
“We need to look at how we best use defence money for defence capability.”
RSL Australia hailed the move as a “partial victory”.
“Keeping these sites in public hands protects our military heritage. It doesn’t protect our Defence capability,” it said.
It added that since Defence personnel were still being moved off these sites, and more than 60 other sites were still earmarked for sale, “the job is only half done”.
The RSL is calling on the government to halt remaining sales until the Senate inquiry into the Management of Defence Estate Assets has reported back after consultation.
“There’s no undo button. Once a site is sold, it’s gone for good,” the RSL said.
Opposition calls move a ‘humiliating’ backdown
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson declared the move was “a humiliation” for Mr Marles, who he said had been “overruled” by the prime minister.
“This is a huge victory for the community who’s made it very clear that they do not want to see these bases sold,” Mr Paterson said.
James Paterson says the Coalition will continue to fight the sale of Defence sites. (ABC: Matt Roberts)
But he said the Coalition would “continue to fight this every step of the way” to ensure other Defence-owned land was not sold off.
Among them he named HMAS Penguin in Sydney Harbour, the Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, where ashes of soldiers are scattered, and the Irwin Barracks in Western Australia, where more than 1,000 reservists currently train.
“It’s critically important that these bases remain available for military use, because we live in a dangerous world,”
Senator Paterson said.
He added that the Coalition still wanted all properties to remain with the Defence department and hoped a future government would transfer them back from Finance to Defence.
Senator Paterson also said he would push ahead with his legislation that would require the government of the day to get approval from parliament before selling off Defence assets.
Earlier, Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on News24, resisted the characterisation of the move as a “backdown”.
Source: www.abc.net.au
