Historic barracks and defence sites to be sold to fund military upgrades
The dramatic sale of 35,000 hectares of defense real estate, including some of the country’s most historic barracks, is expected to generate almost $2 billion to be poured into new military equipment and upgrades of key bases.
Islands, golf courses, rifle ranges, office buildings and training warehouses across the country are to be sold as part of the Albanian government’s long-awaited response to a sweeping audit of the country’s defense property portfolio.
The government has decided to ignore opposition to the sale by the military agency that jealously guards its access to valuable sites
The release of the government’s response to the audit has been delayed for more than two years as veterans and local communities prepare to react to the sale of some of the country’s most iconic defense installations.
This imprint revealed on Wednesday that the Victoria Barracks sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will be sold, paving the way for the possibility of residential development in inner-city areas.
Sixty-seven defense installations, including Victoria, home of the Royal Australian Air Force, and the army’s headquarters in Sydney, will be sold in whole or in part, raising about $3 billion.
The cost of relocating personnel and pre-sales remediation efforts can reach up to $1.2 billion; This means net proceeds of up to $1.8 billion are expected from divestitures.
The government also expects to save $100 million annually by eliminating maintenance costs.
All money from the sales, which are expected to take years to complete, will be reinvested in defense.
The audit, carried out by former Defense Housing Australia managing director Jan Mason and Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Jim Miller, found defense property was rife with waste and tough decisions were required to ensure taxpayers’ money was spent wisely.
“It is abundantly clear and widely recognized that Defense does not need and cannot afford all of the available property,” Mason and Miller wrote in the audit report submitted to the government in December 2023.
“Underutilized portions of defense land drain resources from higher priority needs. Sustainability budgets for this portion of land are stretched too thinly, leading to critical failures and costly unplanned repairs.”
The auditors acknowledged that their recommendations were “likely to evoke strong feelings about its history, scale and diversity”.
A government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, said taxpayers were “wasting money on the wall and this must stop”.
Sites for sale in NSW include:
- Victoria Barracks, Paddington
- Lancer Barracks, Parramatta
- HMAS Penguin (partial)
- Randwick Barracks (partial)
- RAAF Glenbrook
- show island
Sites in Victoria include:
- Latchford Barracks
- Newland Barracks
- RAAF Williams, Dock Cook
- RAAF Williams, Laverton (partial)
- Defense site Maribyrnong
- Victoria Barracks
Sites in Queensland include:
- St Lucia Education Depot
- Mount Isa Rifle Range
- Victoria Barracks
