Australian government reverses plan to sell historic Victoria Barracks in Sydney
The prime minister announced that Victoria Barracks will remain in public ownership after a proposed sale was abandoned, prompting debate over its future management and upkeep.
More than 100 people queued for the Thursday public tours of Sydney’s Victoria Barracks after the defence department announced a reversal of its plan to sell the historic site. The barracks, Australia’s oldest active military installation, had been slated for divestment as part of a broader effort to remove over $3 billion of real-estate assets from the defence portfolio.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the site will stay in public hands and be opened for broader community use, with ownership to be transferred from Defence to the Department of Finance. He added that the heritage of the barracks would be maintained and enhanced.
Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters that an audit of all defence facilities had been conducted to assess their strategic relevance. He noted that the government would spend about $200 million over the next decade to secure the barracks as an ongoing defence site.
Vince Williams, president of RSL NSW, welcomed the reversal, stating that the barracks should remain an operational facility and that its removal would negatively affect cadets and reservists. He criticised the defence estate audit as a “desktop operation of dollars and cents” lacking strategic analysis.
A defence spokesperson said the transition would be managed “carefully and sensitively” to support personnel, families and the broader defence community while preserving the site’s heritage.
State Liberal MP Anthony Roberts warned that transferring the site to the Department of Finance could lead to long-term leases that effectively commercialise the property. He described the barracks as an integral part of counter-terrorism operations.
Local officials expressed mixed views. A spokesperson for the Minns government welcomed the decision to keep the site public but declined to comment on future management. Sydney councillor Jess Miller said the federal government appeared to view the barracks more as a land asset than a community resource, noting that heritage-listed sites require substantial funding for upkeep.
Heritage consultant Fiona Leslie, who worked on an excavation at the barracks, highlighted its national significance, noting the layered history and archaeological potential of the continuously active defence site.