{"id":6080,"date":"2026-05-06T20:29:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T20:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/6080\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T20:29:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T20:29:25","slug":"what-will-become-of-the-victoria-barracks-communities-have-their-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/6080\/","title":{"rendered":"What will become of the Victoria Barracks? Communities have their say"},"content":{"rendered":"

The federal government is being urged to prioritise long-term public interest as it prepares to sell dozens of Defence Department properties across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There has been a strong reaction from veteran, housing, heritage and community organisations since the announcement of the major defence divestment<\/a> plan in February.<\/p>\n

Of the 67 sites being sold off to generate an estimated $3 billion for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), the historic Victoria Barracks in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne are drawing the most attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Victoria Barracks Sydney is still used for military events and sporting matches.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 (AAP: Damian Shaw)<\/p>\n

Some local MPs and organisations including the National Trust of Australia are campaigning for the vast, metropolitan sites to remain under Commonwealth ownership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Others are calling on the government to use the “once in a generation” opportunity to do something “visionary” that blends heritage and public space to serve the broader community.<\/p>\n

With defence representatives touring the country to discuss the estate overhaul, the burning question coming from the public is: what happens next?<\/p>\n

Will their concerns be addressed and what happens once the prime real estate is forever in private hands?<\/p>\n

Heritage won’t be ‘bulldozed’<\/p>\n

The tone of the room was clear when a question yelled from the crowd at a packed community event in Melbourne was met with a round of applause.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golf courses, barracks and museums: What Defence is selling off in Victoria<\/a><\/p>\n

More than a dozen Defence sites across the state will be divested to raise tens of millions of dollars, but question marks remain over what will take their place.<\/p>\n

“Why is the government divesting itself of this national treasure?” a woman asked Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil.<\/p>\n

The Southbank local was referring to Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road.<\/p>\n

The largely heritage site spans 5.7 hectares on the fringe of the CBD’s arts precinct, just a stone’s throw from the National Gallery of Victoria.<\/p>\n

Its signature vine-covered bluestone buildings date back to the 1850s and were once used to host war cabinet meetings during World War II.<\/p>\n

\"3D<\/p>\n

Melbourne’s Victoria Barracks is located in the city’s cultural hub, close to the National Gallery and the Royal Botanic Gardens.\u00a0 (ABC News Graphics)<\/p>\n

Mr Khalil fronted a room of more than 100 community members who came to have their say about the fate of the historic site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Let’s shove some of the criticism to the side,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We’re undertaking engagements with community, council and historical organisations.<\/p>\n

“No decision has been made on who we are selling to.”\"A<\/p>\n

Victoria Barracks Melbourne’s heritage bluestone building covered in ivy. (Flickr<\/a>: Rexness<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/p>\n

In all, 16 sites across Victoria will be sold,<\/a> including the birthplace of the RAAF at Point Cook.<\/p>\n

Mr Khalil said he understood there was a “strong emotional connection” to sites such as Victoria Barracks.<\/p>\n

But he insisted the sale would enhance public access to the gated property, which in recent years has been mostly used as a defence administrative centre.<\/p>\n

“We are not going to bulldoze those heritage locations,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We want people to be able to access the sites and enjoy the history.”Calls for affordable housing<\/p>\n

A recurring question raised by communities has been whether sites would be prioritised for affordable housing.<\/p>\n

There has also been a push from Southbank residents and local MPs to use land at the barracks to build a government school for “the suburb’s growing family population”.<\/p>\n

Mr Khalil said there could be “commercial and community possibilities” for the sites, adding he was speaking with local governments, councils and stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Victoria<\/p>\n

The earliest bluestone buildings at Victoria Barracks Melbourne date back to the 1850s. (State Library Victoria)<\/p>\n

A community event is planned for Thursday night for Sydney locals<\/a> to discuss the fate of Victoria Barracks on Oxford Street.<\/p>\n

Paul Keating says Defence is trying to ‘vandalise the national estate’<\/a><\/p>\n

Opposition is growing to the federal government’s plan to sell scores of defence properties to reduce maintenance and repair costs, as locals fight back.<\/p>\n

Occupying 15 hectares on the ridgeline of Paddington, the site dates back to the 1840s.<\/p>\n

There has been significant pushback to the sale, with several online petitions circulating opposing the plan.<\/p>\n

Former prime minister Paul Keating<\/a>, state Labor MP Marjorie O’Neill and independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich are among the vocal critics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Victoria Barracks Sydney must remain in the care of the Australian people,” Dr O’Neill said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Some places are simply too important to sell.”\"Map<\/p>\n

Sydney’s Victoria Barracks in an inner-city precinct surrounded by major stadiums, parks and universities.\u00a0 (ABC News Graphics)<\/p>\n

A City of Sydney survey conducted late last year found the main priority for community members was that the heritage of the barracks was maintained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There was also support for using the site for affordable housing and cultural spaces such museums, galleries, performance areas and artist studios.<\/p>\n

The government said it had legal obligations to protect heritage values through the divestment process.<\/p>\n

“Departments are engaging with key historical organisations and community groups, including the Australian War Memorial, Shrine of Remembrance, museums and other trusts, to undertake thorough history and heritage planning,” a defence spokesperson told the ABC.<\/p>\n

Market ready to pounce\u00a0<\/p>\n

The defence estate sales were prompted by a 2023 Defence Strategic Review, which found many large, historic bases were underutilised and a drain on resources.<\/p>\n

The audit estimated the department could save upwards of $100 million annually in sustainment costs, but about $1.2 billion would be needed to relocate staff and prepare sites for sale.<\/p>\n

The proceeds from the sell-off will be reinvested into the military, with one property developer reportedly offering $5 billion for the entire portfolio.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

HMAS Penguin, a Royal Australian Navy base located at Balmoral on the lower north shore of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman. (Australian Defence Force)<\/p>\n

Iain\u00a0Davidson, state chief executive with Colliers real estate and investment management, said he had already been speaking to potential buyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“There is certainly a lot of interest,” he told the ABC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Davidson described the sales as a “one in 50 year” real estate opportunity.<\/p>\n

“The portfolio is vast, but a lot of attention is on those prime inner-city barracks sites,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“There’s a whole bunch of uses that can come into this \u2026 whether it’s urban mixed-use precincts, whether it’s residential precincts, whether it’s seniors living areas.”<\/p>\n

\"Overhead<\/p>\n

Sydney’s Victoria Barracks is a significant heritage site, housing the Forces Command headquarters and the 2nd Health Brigade. (Supplied: Department of Defence)<\/p>\n

Defence officials have been quizzed on how much the government expected to make from the individual assets.<\/p>\n

Answering a question on notice, they said commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle had undertaken a “desktop market valuation”, but disclosing details would “diminish the Commonwealth’s commercial advantage when negotiating best market value for each site”.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A group of nurses at Victoria Barracks Sydney in 1914.\u00a0 (Supplied: Australian War Memorial)<\/p>\n

The majority of the\u00a0sites earmarked for sale will eventually be handed over to the Department of Finance, which will be responsible for\u00a0the tender process to find a buyer.<\/p>\n

Mr Davidson said the value would ultimately be set by the market based on the tenderers own “due diligence”.<\/p>\n

“So that market value will be what that due diligence comes up with and what that highest and best use opportunity is,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The market’s response will be interesting \u2026 the market will do the work and let defence know what these assets are worth.”\"A<\/p>\n

Victoria Barracks Brisbane, first built in 1864, will be up for sale. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)<\/p>\n

Question of rezoning\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) said strategic planning was needed to ensure the sites were repurposed in the public interest.<\/p>\n

Government eyes off fire sale of historic defence properties<\/a><\/p>\n

The Albanese government has identified 67 defence sites for potential sale, aiming to unlock up to $1.8 billion.<\/p>\n

The organisation is urging the government to “not simply sell to the highest bidder”.<\/p>\n

Nicole Bennetts, PIA’s national head of policy and advocacy, said the organisation recently met with the federal government at a roundtable to discuss best approaches to maximise the sites’ long-term national value.<\/p>\n

“For us, that’s all about actually doing the planning upfront before those sites are divested,” Ms Bennetts told the ABC.<\/p>\n

“The concern we have is that if you divest them without doing that strategic planning and zoning process, you’re putting that master planning process onto the private sector or that future owner, whoever that may be.”<\/p>\n

\"Rugby<\/p>\n

The Sydney Waratahs have previously used Victoria Barracks in Sydney’s Paddington as a training ground.\u00a0 (AAP: Dean Lewins)<\/p>\n

The government has not specified when rezoning could occur.<\/p>\n

Mr Davidson believes the government will most likely “leave it to the purchasers to go through the rezoning process”.<\/p>\n

Community ‘none the wiser’<\/p>\n

Many community members said they appreciated the government was listening to concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Southbank Residents Association president Tony Penna said it was a “positive” step, but he left the Melbourne event with many unanswered questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“To be honest, I was kind of left none the wiser,” Mr Penna told the ABC.<\/p>\n

“They just said everything we needed to hear. We needed to hear that those heritage spaces will be preserved. We needed to hear that they were going to be accessible to the public.<\/p>\n

“But it’s still early days.”\"Front<\/p>\n

Locals hope Melbourne’s Victoria Barracks can be used to build a school for the growing population in the area.\u00a0 (ABC News)<\/p>\n

Defence said it could take up to two years for complex sites such as Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Melbourne to be ready for sale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Davidson from Colliers real estate expected other assets could go to market later this year.<\/p>\n

Mr Penna, an ADF member who has worked in the barracks, hoped lessons would be learned from the early sales and the community would remain informed.<\/p>\n

“Because once a site like Victoria Barracks is sold, it is gone forever,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Yes, heritage protections exist. Yes, adaptive reuse is promised. But history shows us that once land in prime locations like St Kilda Road enters the private market, commercial pressures inevitably take over.”<\/p>\n

More than 100 submissions have been made to a Senate inquiry, with a series of public hearings taking place this month.<\/p>\n

Defence said additional opportunities for community feedback would continue to arise through the divestment process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The federal government is being urged to prioritise long-term public interest as it prepares to sell dozens of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6081,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[22,21,5735,7417,7418,7416,7415],"class_list":{"0":"post-6080","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-austrlia","10":"tag-defence","11":"tag-defence-department","12":"tag-defence-properties","13":"tag-military-sites","14":"tag-victoria-barracks"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}