The federal government plans to sell $1.8 billion in historic defence real estate as part of a mammoth overhaul of its asset portfolio.
Dozens of underused or vacant Australian Defence Force (ADF) sites, including the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, have been eyed for a nearly two billion-dollar fire sale to fund military equipment and infrastructure upgrades.
Around 35,00 hectares of defence property and land will go under the hammer, with islands, rifle ranges, offices, golf courses and high-profile barracks set to be divested.
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Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government was headed for the "most significant reform to Australia's defence estate in our nation's history".
"The heritage of these properties does not belong to the Australian Army or, for that matter, the Australian Defence Force. It belongs to the Australian people," Marles said.
"Right now, the Australian people are prevented from seeing these properties.
"They exist behind a defence wall."
The mass sell-off is a response to the federal government's 2023 Defence Strategic Review, which assessed whether the ADF's real estate portfolio was fit-for-purpose to meet today's military threats.
The audit earmarked 68 sites for divestment.
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Assistant Minister for Defence Peter Khalil said some unused ADF assets set to be auctioned off have fallen into disrepair.
He said the cost of maintaining the vacated Penrith training depot site has been a staggering waste of taxpayer dollars.
"I was absolutely shocked at what I saw," Khalil told media in Canberra today.
"I saw abandoned buildings, every window broken, glass strewn everywhere, vandalism and it got worse when I walked in."
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Khalil said there are 14 sites listed in the audit which are not being used and that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain.
The government said it expects to save $100 million per year by reducing maintenance costs.
Sites will be sold to interested parties on a "case-by-case" basis.
"I mean, there are some prime locations. I imagine there will be a lot of interest and a lot of views about what it can be used for," Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said.
Gallagher said she hoped some of it would be used for housing but that no decision had been made yet.
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