House debates Questions without Notice
Defence Properties
Richard Marles Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence
2:51 pm
The estate audit specifically discussed Victoria Barracks, Sydney, and it made it clear that, whatever else, Victoria Barracks, Sydney, is not fundamental to the defence of the country and that what we face, in respect of Victoria Barracks, Sydney, specifically, is a bill of $200 million over the next decade to secure it as a defence site—an amount that would not need to be spent if it were not a defence site. It's on that basis that we've taken the decision that we have taken, particularly given that Defence Plaza Sydney, established by the former coalition government and a decent decision, which is a kilometre away, right now, sits 60 per cent empty. It's got offices in there, and the fundamental function of what happens at Victoria Barracks Sydney is office work. Given the strategic landscape we face, we simply cannot afford to be wasting money—and that's what we're doing—in this way. We actually need to look at how we best use defence money for defence capability.
No comments