Senate committee inquiry calls to halt Defence estate divestments

Listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List, Victoria Barracks serves as the home of Headquarters Forces Command.

RSL Australia is urging the Federal Government to heed the recommendations of a Senate inquiry and pause its Defence estate divestment program, warning that significant questions remain about consultation, strategic capability and the impact on serving personnel and their families.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee has recommended the Government immediately halt the broader divestment program until proper public consultation is completed and appropriate legislative checks and balances are in place.

The committee’s interim report raises concerns about consultation, due diligence and the consideration given to the ongoing strategic value of Defence sites, including their role in ADF readiness, force posture and mobilisation.

RSL Australia believes these concerns warrant a pause before irreversible decisions are made.

RSL Australia National President Peter Tinley AM previously told the inquiry:

“The full end-to-end strategy here is not quite clear to us.”

While RSL Australia recognises that some rationalisation of the Defence estate may be prudent, decisions to relinquish significant Defence assets must be informed by a comprehensive assessment of their current and future strategic value, heritage significance and the consequences for the people who use them.

The League is particularly concerned about the uncertainty the process is creating for serving personnel and their families, including where personnel will work and train and the disruption associated with relocation.

At a time when Australia is seeking to grow the ADF and improve recruitment and retention, Defence estate decisions must support the people the nation relies upon to deliver capability.

RSL Australia stands firmly behind RSL NSW and RSL WA in their concerns about the proposed divestment of Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Irwin Barracks in Perth.

RSL NSW has strongly opposed the proposed divestment of Victoria Barracks, pointing to its continuing Defence use and significant strategic, military, cultural and heritage value.

RSL WA has similarly urged the Government to reconsider the proposed divestment of Irwin Barracks, questioning the decision to relinquish Defence infrastructure at a time when Australia must be prepared for the possibility of rapidly expanding Defence capability in a future crisis.

These sites are more than property assets. They support serving personnel and Defence capability and carry generations of Australian military history.

RSL Australia believes the Senate committee’s interim report provides an opportunity for the Government to pause, undertake meaningful consultation with serving personnel, families, veterans and affected communities and properly assess the current and future strategic value of sites proposed for divestment.

Once significant Defence land is sold, the decision may be impossible to reverse. RSL Australia is calling on the Government to take the time to get these decisions right.

Read more about RSL Australia’s position on Defence Estate divestment here.