The Albanese Government has flagged the sale of dozens of historic defence properties across Australia, arguing the Australian Defence Force is carrying an oversized and ageing estate that is draining money from priority capability projects.
A public version of the Defence Estate Audit led by Jan Mason and Jim Miller found parts of Defence’s roughly 3 million hectare property footprint were no longer needed and some facilities had deteriorated beyond economical repair.
The audit estimated consolidation could generate about $3 billion in sales revenue and save up to $100 million a year in maintenance while warning divestment could also bring costs of up to $1.2 billion for relocation and remediation.
The Government says it has identified 67 sites that are vacant or lightly used for potential sale with high profile locations including Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne as well as sites such as Spectacle Island and parts of HMAS Penguin in New South Wales.
Under the plan, Defence will wholly divest 64 sites and partially divest three while retaining one site in full with the Department of Finance managing the process and seeking early expressions of interest from the market.
Finance says all proceeds will stay within the Defence portfolio and be reinvested in national strategy priorities including upgrades to northern bases and infrastructure linked to AUKUS.
The proposal is already drawing pushback from veterans and opposition figures who warn the clean up and planning constraints at heritage sites could blunt the promised returns and take years to resolve.
RSL national president Peter Tinley said the organisation supported modernising infrastructure but cautioned the sites carried deep meaning and needed careful handling.
Defence analysts have also warned that some metropolitan facilities quietly underpin Reserve training and retention and that closures will need credible replacements if capability is not to be shifted into new gaps.
While Canberra weighs selling historic defence sites, shoppers are chasing bargains at home too with Bunnings taking on Kmart with designer style furniture starting at just $19.
