Historic Victorian military bases to go in major Defence sell-off

Victoria will be the epicentre of an Albanese government Defence force property sell off worth billions, with 16 sites around the state to be divested.

Nationwide 64 properties will be sold off in their entirety, with a further three marked for partial sale, and proceeds to be reinvested in supporting the National Defence Strategy.

On the list is the birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force at Point Cook, where the military division was founded in 1914.

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It is slated for full sale, while the nearby RAAF Williams-Laverton site is to be partially divested.

Part of their former holdings in the area have already been converted to a suburb-sized new housing estate and jobs precinct now called Williams Landing.

They are also being required to relinquish high-profile Melbourne sites including the Victoria Barracks in Parkville, as well as training depots in Sandringham and St Kilda.

The Geelong region will also have a significant sell off, with the sale of Fort Queenscliff and the home of Geelong’s Air Force Cadet Unit, as well as a partial divestment of Swan Island, the ending of the lease of the Training Ship Barwon.

FULL LIST OF VICTORIAN SITES TO BE SOLD:

Carlton Training Depot – Full Divestment

Defence Site Maribyrnong – Divestment Underway

Fort Queenscliff – Full Divestment

Geelong (Air Force Cadet Unit) – Full Divestment

Geelong – Training Ship Barwon – End Lease

HMAS Cerberus – Partial Divestment

Kyneton Training Depot – Full Divestment

Latchford Barracks – Full Divestment

Newland Barracks – Full Divestment

RAAF Williams – Laverton – Partial Divestment

RAAF Williams – Point Cook – Full Divestment

Repatriation Clinic – St Kilda Rd – Full Divestment

Sandringham Training Depot – Full Divestment

St Kilda Training Depot – Full Divestment

Swan Island (Geelong area) – Partial Divestment

Victoria Barracks Melbourne – Full Divestment

The planned sell off follows the release of the Defence Estate Audit, which found the nation’s military was “constrained by the weight of its past when it comes to the management of the estate”.

“Today’s estate footprint comprises numerous legacy sites without a clear ongoing link to current or future capabilities,” the audit said.

“Urgent interventions are needed to correct the unsustainable trajectory that has resulted from decades of deferred decisions on contentious estate issues.”

RAAF Base Williams in Point Cook was the original home of Australia’s air force in 1921.

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In a press release on the Minister of Defence’s website today, it was noted some of the sites are historically significant and the Albanese government would preserve and enhance public access to them.

“The Albanese Government is committed to ensuring the Australian Defence Force has the facilities and capabilities it needs to keep Australians safe,” the media release said.

“This means making the hard decisions to transition to a modern Defence estate that reflects the needs of our nation and our Defence personnel.”

The former Maribyrnong ordinance base is also on the list, but was already in the process of being divested and was put on the market in 2018 — with past suggestions it could ultimately host about 6000 new homes.

In 2017 a Chinese developer had proposed a $2.5bn plan for the site.

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