Skip to footer
Victoria Barracks looking East
Photo: Nick-D, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

business

Defence unfazed on blowouts amid barracks backdown

Australia abandons sale of Victoria Barracks Sydney and other defence sites amid public pressure, transferring them to the Finance

Updated 2 min read

Published by Agyata NewsroomEditorial policyCorrections

Key points

  • The government transferred Victoria Barracks Sydney, Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff, and Point Cook from Defence to the Finance Department.
  • All 67 sites originally budgeted at about $3 billion were abandoned for sale due to substantial public pressure.
  • Defence Minister Richard Marles stated the sites were never expected to make a lot of cash despite a net return of roughly $1.2 billion.

Why it matters. The decision affects federal budget savings calculations and shifts the management of historic military sites to the Finance Department for potential community and commercial use.

Updated Sources: Thewest

The Australian government announced on Sunday that it will transfer Victoria Barracks Sydney, Victoria Barracks Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff, and Point Cook from Defence to the Finance Department after abandoning their sale due to public pressure. Defence Minister Richard Marles stated that the sites, originally budgeted at about $3 billion, were never expected to generate significant cash, with a net return of roughly $1.2 billion anticipated across all 67 sites slated for divestment.

Latest updates

Defence unfazed on blowouts amid barracks backdown

The government stated that opening historic defence sites to the public will not deplete public funds, contradicting Opposition claims that abandoning the sale of Victoria Barracks Sydney creates a budget shortfall. Following significant public pressure, the decision announced on Sunday to transfer the 186-year-old Victoria Barracks Sydney, along with Victoria Barracks Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff, and Point Cook (RAAF Williams) from Defence to the Finance Department, was upheld. Defence minister Richard Marles told ABC Radio National that the Department of Finance will manage these sites to maximize community and commercial use, ensuring some financial return despite the lack of major cash expectations. Additionally, HMAS Penguin in Sydney's Mosman will undergo partial divestment as the government collaborates with the Australian War Memorial to convert the locations into public spaces that document Australia's military history while retaining some commercial areas. Dozens of people, including opposition Liberals, gathered on Monday to celebrate the reversal of the sales plan.

Thewest

Sources

AI-assisted summary of the reporting above. Quotes are kept to one sentence. Copyright concern? See our DMCA takedown page.