Business Sydney has ramped up opposition to the Federal Government’s proposed sale of Victoria Barracks, with executive director Paul Nicolaou urging Defence Minister Richard Marles to withdraw the site from a broader $1.8 billion defence asset divestment program.
Nicolaou said the organisation “wish[es] to express strong opposition to the potential sale of Victoria Barracks in Paddington,” arguing the historic site is not a solution to Sydney’s housing needs.
“While we recognise Sydney’s need for more housing supply, the sale of Victoria Barracks, which is part of the historic fabric of Sydney and the centrepiece of Defence operations, is not the solution,” he wrote.
Nicolaou stressed the barracks should remain operational to preserve its 175-year-old heritage and its role in national security.
“Victoria Barracks should remain open to not only preserve its irreplaceable 175-year-old heritage as Australia’s premier colonial-era military site but also to maintain its crucial, active operational role,” he said.
“Far from being surplus property, the site is an important and secure base for the Australian Army in Sydney and, as such, critical for national security and crisis response.”
He also highlighted the barracks’ function as a hub for military training and its “direct command role” over a third of the army, questioning why Defence continues leasing CBD office space instead.
“It is difficult to understand why the Commonwealth is spending millions of dollars each year to lease office space at Defence Plaza in the heart of the CBD when those functions could be located at Victoria Barracks,” Nicolaou wrote.
“Business Sydney calls on the government to withdraw any plans for the sale of Victoria Barracks and to announce this as a matter of urgency to end the current uncertainty.”
Business Sydney joins a growing list of critics, including former Chief of Army Ken Gillespie and NSW RSL president Vincent Williams, who argue the sale could weaken military readiness and national security in Sydney.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
