MEDIA RELEASE
RSL Australia and RSL NSW will come together to rally with veterans, Defence families and the broader community this Sunday, 25 October, to save Victoria Barracks Sydney, the spiritual home of the Australian Army.
The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) is fighting against the Government’s planned Defence Estate divestment of key strategic sites, including Victoria Barracks Sydney.
RSL Australia National President, Peter Tinley AM, will speak at the rally in Sydney, on behalf of the veteran and Defence communities.
"Victoria Barracks Sydney has 178 years of military history. It's not a relic. It's the spiritual home of the Army," Mr Tinley said.
The RSL opposes the Government's plan to sell key strategic Defence sites, including Victoria Barracks, and says the decision does the opposite of looking after the people Defence depends on most.
"People are Defence's greatest asset. Pushing them out before Christmas with nowhere suitable to go is a hit on morale," Mr Tinley said.
"It goes against everything the Royal Commission told us about looking after our people and their families."
Victoria Barracks is one of 67 Defence sites across the country earmarked for sale, including Lancer Barracks and HMAS Penguin in NSW, Victoria Barracks Melbourne and Point Cook in Victoria, Hampstead Barracks in SA, and Irwin and Leeuwin Barracks in WA. Tasmania stands to lose numerous sites, with little regard for current ADF capability and force posture.
RSL Australia disagrees with how the Government reached these decisions. The Defence Estate Audit was completed in 2023, but not released until 2026, and neither the veteran community nor the public were consulted. In September, a Senate committee's interim report recommended halting the divestment program until proper consultation takes place.
"The audit was a savings exercise, not a strategic one. It never asked about the needs of today's ADF, recruiting, the Reserves, our cadets or our veterans," Mr Tinley said.
"We support a modern Defence estate. But we certainly don't support selling key strategic sites because a spreadsheet says you can."
"Prime Minister, it's time you intervene. Step in and stop the sale," Mr Tinley said.