00:00So this is all about ensuring better bang, if you like, for the taxpayer buck.
00:06So at the moment, the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Government, for that matter,
00:11has a sprawling defence estate with properties across Australia.
00:15But many of them have fallen into disrepair and are actually really underutilised or not
00:23being used at all.
00:24So essentially what happened was the government created an independent audit that looked at
00:30what properties could be sold off.
00:32And it identified 68 potential properties of which the government has agreed to 67 of them.
00:40And in many ways, this is a response really to the Defence Strategic Review, which really
00:45looked at where Australia needs to improve its capabilities and really suggested that
00:51there'd be less of a focus on some of these southern bases and divert that attention to
00:57the north of Australia.
00:59So we've seen a lot of renovations, if you like, and updates at various bases, for example,
01:06at RAF Base Tyndall, at Catherine in the Northern Territory.
01:10Ultimately, this is all about ensuring that Australia's defences are where they need to
01:16be. And Defence Minister Richard Myles made that announcement here at Parliament House earlier
01:21today.
01:22It was thorough.
01:25It was exhaustive.
01:27But in so many ways, it was also damning.
01:31And I do want to take you to some of what the report says.
01:36On page 33, and I'm quoting, it says,
01:39Defence is constrained by the weight of its past when it comes to management of the estate.
01:44Today's estate footprint comprises numerous legacy sites without a clear ongoing link to
01:51current or future capabilities.
01:53Urgent interventions are needed to correct the unsustainable trajectory that has resulted
01:59from decades of deferred decisions on contentious estate issues.
02:04So, Olivia, is the government describing these only as potential sales, or these are definitely
02:10going to be sold?
02:12Look, they're definitely looking to sell them, but it's something that's really going to take
02:16some years to get underway.
02:18So we're not likely to see for sale signs being put up immediately.
02:22But they certainly do want to see this revenue reinvested into other parts.
02:28And there are some significant sites up for sale, really.
02:33And they could ruffle some feathers within the defence community.
02:36I'll run you through a couple now, including high-profile properties such as Victoria Barracks.
02:42That's in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Spectacle Island in New South Wales, and also HMAS
02:49Penguin in New South Wales.
02:50Now, as you see on screen here, there is a statement from RSL Australia.
02:55And they say why, while they see the strategic logic in this decision, the Defence Strategic
03:02Review made clear we need to reorient to our northern approaches.
03:07But these aren't empty paddocks on a spreadsheet.
03:10They're places where Australians learn to soldier, where bonds of mateship were forged, and where
03:15generations prepared to defend the nation.
03:17So that's Peter Tinley there at AM.
03:21He says the government needs to tap the brakes here, take a breath, because once these sites
03:25are gone, they're gone forever.
03:27Ultimately, we could see the government generate around $3 billion in revenue originally from
03:34the sell-off of these identified properties.
03:36But that'll be whittled down to a much smaller amount, just $1.8 billion, once they take into
03:44consideration, say, remediation costs at these sites and also relocating staff.
03:50We did see a statement drop just in the past 10 minutes or so from the Shadow Defence Minister,
03:56Angus Taylor.
03:57And he's also called out this decision in a similar fashion to RSL Australia, essentially
04:04saying that he's not sure that this is the best idea.
04:08The Defence Minister, Richard Miles, this morning, anticipating some of this criticism, had this
04:13to say.
04:15I also want to make clear that the heritage value of these properties does not belong to
04:21the Australian Army or, for that matter, the Australian Defence Force.
04:25It belongs to the Australian people.
04:28And right now, the Australian people are prevented from seeing these properties.
04:34They exist behind a defence wall.
04:38So, Joe, as I say, these asset sales could take years and years to complete.
04:43So, we're not going to see this immediate sell-off overnight.
04:47Mr Miles, this morning, did say that we could see some of this land, if you like, freed up to
04:54essentially build housing for Australians, as we know we are in the midst of a housing crisis.
05:00But he says that's not the driving factor, if you like, behind the sale.
05:04He says this is all about ensuring that the ADF's capability is where it needs to be in a
05:09deteriorating geostrategic environment.
05:12And, Olivia, was there any talk today about the heritage value of these sites?
05:16Because there are some beautiful old sandstone buildings, for example, on the Sydney site.
05:21Was there any talk about buildings like those being protected?
05:25I'd say that there was an acknowledgement from the government that there are sort of
05:30important legacy issues to consider here.
05:34However, by that same token, there was nothing in the material, certainly, that we were pouring
05:39over during our morning briefing, essentially calling out sort of potential safeguards about
05:45that. So that's certainly a question that we'll be asking in the coming days about how you ensure
05:51that if these sites are sold off, as you say, they're beautiful sandstone buildings, how that
05:56heritage will be protected. But I guess what the minister was trying to say there in his comments
06:01before was that this legacy isn't just for defence, it's for Australians in general.
06:07So I guess by the tone of his language there, there is the suggestion that he would like to see
06:12those landmarks preserved in some fashion, although we don't know exactly how that will happen.
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