Stop The Sell Off of Australia's Defence Bases
The issue
AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE SITES ARE FACING PERMANENT SALE
The Australian Government has approved dozens of Defence sites across the country for full or partial divestment.
Before historically significant bases and strategically located Defence land are permanently sold, Australians deserve a proper say in what happens to them.
This is about our military history, our Defence capability, and what Australia may need in the future.
OUR MILITARY HISTORY
For generations, Australian Defence personnel have trained, worked and served from these sites. Veterans and Defence families have celebrated homecomings, endured departures and built lifelong connections to them.
🟨 Some of these bases contain more than a century of Australian military history.
🔴 These are not just properties.
They are part of Australia’s military history. Once they are sold and redeveloped, we may never get them back.
OUR FUTURE DEFENCE
🔴 And this is not only about our past. It is about Australia’s future defence.
Australia’s Defence needs have changed many times throughout our history. Bases, land and facilities considered unnecessary today may be needed again in the future.
🟨 Once strategically located Defence land is sold and redeveloped, rebuilding that capability in the same locations could be enormously difficult, expensive or impossible.
🔴 What we don’t need today, we may desperately need tomorrow.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS
The Government says the sites selected for divestment are not aligned with current or future capability priorities and that proceeds from their sale will remain within Defence and be reinvested in National Defence Strategy priorities, including strengthening northern bases.
🔴 But once these sites are sold, that decision may be impossible to reverse.
Before we permanently give up Defence land that has served Australia for generations, Australians deserve to know that we are not losing something our country may need again.
WHAT THIS PETITION IS ASKING FOR
This petition calls on the Australian Government to pause the sale of Defence bases, barracks and other strategically or historically significant Defence sites and conduct a transparent review of their long-term military, strategic, heritage and community value before permanent disposal.
These sites should be considered not only for what they are worth today, but for what they have meant to generations of Australians and what they could mean to the defence of our country in the future.
🔴 OUR MILITARY HISTORY CANNOT BE REPLACED.
🔴 OUR FUTURE DEFENCE NEEDS CANNOT ALWAYS BE PREDICTED.
🔴 ONCE THESE SITES ARE SOLD AND GONE, WE MAY NEVER GET THEM BACK.
Our military heritage belongs to the Australians who served before us, those serving today and those who will serve tomorrow.
OUR GOAL IS 100,000 SIGNATURES
Add your name if you want these Defence sites reconsidered before they are permanently sold.
ACT
Fairbairn (Golf Course) — Majura — Size not stated
Pialligo South — Pialligo — 270 ha
New South Wales
Banksmeadow Training Depot — Banksmeadow — 2.5 ha
Bathurst Stores Training Depot — Bathurst — Size not stated
Haberfield Training Depot — Haberfield — 1.9 ha (already divested)
Lancer Barracks — Parramatta — 1.2 ha
Londonderry Transmitting Station — Londonderry — 63 ha
Penrith Training Depot — Penrith — 3.6 ha
RAAF Glenbrook — Glenbrook — 22 ha
Randwick Barracks — Randwick — 17.67 ha
Spectacle Island — Parramatta River — 2 ha
Timor Barracks — Dundas — Size not stated
Victoria Barracks Sydney — Paddington — 13 ha
Northern Territory
Defence Establishment Berrimah — Berrimah — 166 ha
Kowandi North — Howard Springs — Size not stated
Stokes Hill Fuel Installation — Darwin City — 4 ha4
Queensland
Atherton Rifle Range — Atherton — Size not stated
Garbutt (Duckworth Street) — Garbutt — 1 ha (already divested)
Kokoda Barracks – Golf Course — Witheren — Size not stated
Magnetic Island (Amaroo Apartments) — Arcadia — 2.7 ha (already divested)
Milne Bay Training Depot — Harristown — Size not stated
Mount Isa Rifle Range — Mount Isa — Size not stated (lease)
Purga Rifle Range — Purga — Size not stated
St Lucia Training Depot — Brisbane — 0.85 ha
Strathmuir — Ogmore — 1,966 ha
Victoria Barracks Brisbane — Brisbane — 2.7 ha
Wangetti Rifle Range — Wangetti — Size not stated (lease)
South Australia
Edinburgh Parks — Edinburgh — 7 ha
Hampstead Barracks — Greenacres — 7 ha
Woodside Barracks — Woodside — 145 ha
Tasmania
Bridgewater Training Depot — Bridgewater — Size not stated (lease)
Buckland Military Training Area — Buckland — Size not stated
Burnie – Training Ship Emu — Burnie — Size not stated (lease)
Burnie Training Depot — Burnie — Size not stated
Derwent Barracks — Glenorchy — 31 ha
Devonport – Training Ship Mersey — Devonport — Size not stated (lease)
Devonport Training Depot — Devonport — Size not stated
Fort Direction — South Arm — 108 ha
George Town – Training Ship York — George Town — Size not stated (lease)
Hobart – Training Ship Derwent — Hobart — Size not stated (lease)
Launceston – Training Ship Tamar — Launceston — Size not stated (lease)
Scottsdale — Scottsdale — 0.65 ha
St Helens – Training Ship Argonaut — St Helens — Size not stated (lease)
Stony Head Military Training Area — Stony Head — Size not stated
Youngtown Training Depot — Youngtown — Size not stated
Victoria
Carlton Training Depot — Carlton — 0.26 ha
Defence Site Maribyrnong — Maribyrnong — 128 ha
Fort Queenscliff — Queenscliff — 7 ha
Geelong Air Force Cadet Unit — Geelong — Size not stated
Geelong – Training Ship Barwon — Geelong — Size not stated (lease)
HMAS Cerberus – Golf Course and off-base land — Westernport — Size not stated
Kyneton Training Depot — Kyneton — Size not stated
Latchford Barracks — Bonegilla — Size not stated
Newland Barracks — Geelong — 1.1 ha
RAAF Williams – Point Cook — Point Cook — 342.5 ha
Repatriation Clinic – 310 St Kilda Road — Southbank — 2.5 ha
Sandringham Training Depot — Sandringham — Size not stated
St Kilda Training Depot — St Kilda — 0.97 ha
Swan Island – Golf Course — Swan Island — Size not stated
Victoria Barracks Melbourne — Southbank — 5.7 ha
Western Australia
Coolilup Rifle Range — Capel — Size not stated (lease)
Irwin Barracks — Karrakatta — 61.5 ha
Karratha/Dampier Rifle Range — Karratha — Size not stated (lease)
Leeuwin Barracks — East Fremantle — 14 ha
23
The issue
AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE SITES ARE FACING PERMANENT SALE
The Australian Government has approved dozens of Defence sites across the country for full or partial divestment.
Before historically significant bases and strategically located Defence land are permanently sold, Australians deserve a proper say in what happens to them.
This is about our military history, our Defence capability, and what Australia may need in the future.
OUR MILITARY HISTORY
For generations, Australian Defence personnel have trained, worked and served from these sites. Veterans and Defence families have celebrated homecomings, endured departures and built lifelong connections to them.
🟨 Some of these bases contain more than a century of Australian military history.
🔴 These are not just properties.
They are part of Australia’s military history. Once they are sold and redeveloped, we may never get them back.
OUR FUTURE DEFENCE
🔴 And this is not only about our past. It is about Australia’s future defence.
Australia’s Defence needs have changed many times throughout our history. Bases, land and facilities considered unnecessary today may be needed again in the future.
🟨 Once strategically located Defence land is sold and redeveloped, rebuilding that capability in the same locations could be enormously difficult, expensive or impossible.
🔴 What we don’t need today, we may desperately need tomorrow.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS
The Government says the sites selected for divestment are not aligned with current or future capability priorities and that proceeds from their sale will remain within Defence and be reinvested in National Defence Strategy priorities, including strengthening northern bases.
🔴 But once these sites are sold, that decision may be impossible to reverse.
Before we permanently give up Defence land that has served Australia for generations, Australians deserve to know that we are not losing something our country may need again.
WHAT THIS PETITION IS ASKING FOR
This petition calls on the Australian Government to pause the sale of Defence bases, barracks and other strategically or historically significant Defence sites and conduct a transparent review of their long-term military, strategic, heritage and community value before permanent disposal.
These sites should be considered not only for what they are worth today, but for what they have meant to generations of Australians and what they could mean to the defence of our country in the future.
🔴 OUR MILITARY HISTORY CANNOT BE REPLACED.
🔴 OUR FUTURE DEFENCE NEEDS CANNOT ALWAYS BE PREDICTED.
🔴 ONCE THESE SITES ARE SOLD AND GONE, WE MAY NEVER GET THEM BACK.
Our military heritage belongs to the Australians who served before us, those serving today and those who will serve tomorrow.
OUR GOAL IS 100,000 SIGNATURES
Add your name if you want these Defence sites reconsidered before they are permanently sold.
ACT
Fairbairn (Golf Course) — Majura — Size not stated
Pialligo South — Pialligo — 270 ha
New South Wales
Banksmeadow Training Depot — Banksmeadow — 2.5 ha
Bathurst Stores Training Depot — Bathurst — Size not stated
Haberfield Training Depot — Haberfield — 1.9 ha (already divested)
Lancer Barracks — Parramatta — 1.2 ha
Londonderry Transmitting Station — Londonderry — 63 ha
Penrith Training Depot — Penrith — 3.6 ha
RAAF Glenbrook — Glenbrook — 22 ha
Randwick Barracks — Randwick — 17.67 ha
Spectacle Island — Parramatta River — 2 ha
Timor Barracks — Dundas — Size not stated
Victoria Barracks Sydney — Paddington — 13 ha
Northern Territory
Defence Establishment Berrimah — Berrimah — 166 ha
Kowandi North — Howard Springs — Size not stated
Stokes Hill Fuel Installation — Darwin City — 4 ha4
Queensland
Atherton Rifle Range — Atherton — Size not stated
Garbutt (Duckworth Street) — Garbutt — 1 ha (already divested)
Kokoda Barracks – Golf Course — Witheren — Size not stated
Magnetic Island (Amaroo Apartments) — Arcadia — 2.7 ha (already divested)
Milne Bay Training Depot — Harristown — Size not stated
Mount Isa Rifle Range — Mount Isa — Size not stated (lease)
Purga Rifle Range — Purga — Size not stated
St Lucia Training Depot — Brisbane — 0.85 ha
Strathmuir — Ogmore — 1,966 ha
Victoria Barracks Brisbane — Brisbane — 2.7 ha
Wangetti Rifle Range — Wangetti — Size not stated (lease)
South Australia
Edinburgh Parks — Edinburgh — 7 ha
Hampstead Barracks — Greenacres — 7 ha
Woodside Barracks — Woodside — 145 ha
Tasmania
Bridgewater Training Depot — Bridgewater — Size not stated (lease)
Buckland Military Training Area — Buckland — Size not stated
Burnie – Training Ship Emu — Burnie — Size not stated (lease)
Burnie Training Depot — Burnie — Size not stated
Derwent Barracks — Glenorchy — 31 ha
Devonport – Training Ship Mersey — Devonport — Size not stated (lease)
Devonport Training Depot — Devonport — Size not stated
Fort Direction — South Arm — 108 ha
George Town – Training Ship York — George Town — Size not stated (lease)
Hobart – Training Ship Derwent — Hobart — Size not stated (lease)
Launceston – Training Ship Tamar — Launceston — Size not stated (lease)
Scottsdale — Scottsdale — 0.65 ha
St Helens – Training Ship Argonaut — St Helens — Size not stated (lease)
Stony Head Military Training Area — Stony Head — Size not stated
Youngtown Training Depot — Youngtown — Size not stated
Victoria
Carlton Training Depot — Carlton — 0.26 ha
Defence Site Maribyrnong — Maribyrnong — 128 ha
Fort Queenscliff — Queenscliff — 7 ha
Geelong Air Force Cadet Unit — Geelong — Size not stated
Geelong – Training Ship Barwon — Geelong — Size not stated (lease)
HMAS Cerberus – Golf Course and off-base land — Westernport — Size not stated
Kyneton Training Depot — Kyneton — Size not stated
Latchford Barracks — Bonegilla — Size not stated
Newland Barracks — Geelong — 1.1 ha
RAAF Williams – Point Cook — Point Cook — 342.5 ha
Repatriation Clinic – 310 St Kilda Road — Southbank — 2.5 ha
Sandringham Training Depot — Sandringham — Size not stated
St Kilda Training Depot — St Kilda — 0.97 ha
Swan Island – Golf Course — Swan Island — Size not stated
Victoria Barracks Melbourne — Southbank — 5.7 ha
Western Australia
Coolilup Rifle Range — Capel — Size not stated (lease)
Irwin Barracks — Karrakatta — 61.5 ha
Karratha/Dampier Rifle Range — Karratha — Size not stated (lease)
Leeuwin Barracks — East Fremantle — 14 ha
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
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Petition created on 24 September 2026