Stay updated
The Albanese Government's Defence Base Sell Off
On the 4th of February 2026, Defence Minister Richard Marles’ announced that he would be selling off 67 Defence bases – the biggest Defence base sell of in Australia’s history. The plan is deeply unpopular, and the process he undertook is plagued with controversy. As Chair of the Senate Inquiry into Management of Defence estate assets, Jess Collins has been a leading opponant to the sell off.
Below is a timeline of the Albanese Government’s scandalous Defence base sell off.
Chris Minns blocks Anthony Roberts' private members bill that would make the NSW Defence bases worthless to developers
Chris Minns – after comparing the sales of Victoria Barracks Sydney to his neighbour selling his boat earlier this year – had recently claimed he was supporting the rentention of Victoria Barracks Sydney as an operational base.
Anthony Roberts had prepared a private members bill that would require both houses of NSW Parliament to assess and redevelopment of Defence land (making it extremely difficult for developers). Unfortunatley, Chris Minns caved to his federal collegues and ordered his caucus to vote against the bill.
Jess joins with Anthony Roberts MP calling on Victoria Barracks not to be sold – Chris Minns tries to jump on board
With genuine cross-party opposition to the sale of 67 Defence bases including Victoria Barracks, the Daily Telegraph calls on the government to back down on the liquidation of Defence bases.
Daily Telegraph publishes Jess Collins' revelations about the real cost of Defence Plaza Sydney
At an estimates hearing earlier in the year, Jess confirmed that the cost to rent Defence Plaza Sydney was more than the cost of maintaining Victoria Barracks Sydney.
Marles walks back his eviction notice
Following the news broken on Peta Credlin the night before, Richard Marles claimed the evicition notice had an ‘error’ and the Army would only commence moving out of Victoria Barracks Sydney on the 19th of December 2026.
Jess Collins tables the Management of Defence estate assets: Interim report
You can find a link to the report here which recommended that the sell of be halted.
Jess Collins Breaks the news on Peta Credlin that Richard Marles had given an eviction notice to the Army
The verbal directive to the Chief of Army was for the Army to be out of Victoria Barracks by 19th of December 2026. The next morning, Richard Marles walked back the direction and told them they would have to start moving out of Victoria Barracks Sydney on the 19th of December 2026. They still have not been told where they are going.
Jess attends beats at the Barracks with over 1000 community members at Victoria Barracks
Jess attends Lancer Barracks Open Day with over 700 members of the public
A treasured piece of our national heritage and an active base serving our local communities, right in the heart of Parramatta.
We will keep fighting to keep it that way.
Over 700 people from across Sydney came to Lancer barracks on Saturday to show their support to save our Defence bases.
Jess Collins met passionate and disciplined cadets with big dreams and aspirations – over 200 who train there every single week and who are driven to go on to serve in the ADF. But they won’t if the base is taken from them. They won’t have access. That is a devastating truth.
This is also where ADF Careers operates – an important recruiting function for Greater Sydney.
Jess Collins delivers speech describing how the cost of outsourcing of base services
Our defence estate is collapsing under the weight of its bureaucracy and the outsourcing of everything to international conglomerates.
The more we outsource the most basic of functions on a base, the more we lose our best troops. I’ve heard it firsthand. Hundreds of people are writing to me explaining how they’ve quit the forces because they’re not allowed to do the most basic of tasks. They’ve quit because it’s fundamentally demeaning and it brings about skill atrophy. Now we have the situation where qualified sparkies trained by the Army are escorting private contractors to a light bulb that needs changing. Our best troops are packing up and leaving to find a job where they can do the work that they’re trained to do.
More so, outsourcing basic functions of defence management is dangerous. When we enter into a conflict, who is going to man the gates? That we don’t even allow our defence members to provide security on their own bases is a gross failure of the system. If conflict arises, where will they find the light bulbs? Which private contractor will come onto a base to change a dead bulb when Australia is under attack? They won’t, of course. Our enlisted men and women would do it for themselves.
Jess Collins exposes the truth about Defence bureaucrats spending
In a lightbulb moment, Jess asks Defence why a basic estate management task can’t be carried out by Defence members.
Jess Collins probes Defence on the Defence base garrison contract: Who owns Wilson Secutiry?
In one of the more ridiculous exchanges between Jess in an inquiry hearing, an official from the Department of Defence refuses to divulge who owns the company that has the base security contracts in NT, SA and WA.
Jess asks the Deputy Secretary of Security and Estate why her copy of the Defence Estate Audit was wrapped in Christmas paper
Jess Collins calls out the Government's BIG LIE about Victoria Barracks Sydney costing more to run than Defence Plaza Sydney
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee – 02/06/2026 – Estimates – DEFENCE PORTFOLIO – Department of Defence
Senator COLLINS: Thank you; that’s helpful. I might bring you back to the evidence you gave me at the previous hearing. You said, ‘I can take the specifics on notice,’ when I asked you about the difference in the cost of running Victoria Barracks Sydney versus the cost of running Defence Plaza Sydney. We still don’t have that, and you’re sitting before me again today saying that you’ll take the specifics on notice. It really doesn’t help us do our job if we continually get that response. If there’s somebody who can help you, who is sitting here tonight, that would be very helpful.
Ms Perkins : We’ve taken a very large number of questions from you on notice in that inquiry. That’s underway, and we are working through those as rapidly as we can. I can’t really advance from there.
Senator COLLINS: On the Defence Plaza Sydney lease, three years earlier on 23 February you signed a 10-year lease. Was that the contract for more than $230 million? Was it contract number CN3990844?
Ms Perkins : I can check the specifics of that and come back to you.
Senator COLLINS: I might come back to that in a moment, but does anybody have any idea about the ballpark of the lease for Defence Plaza Sydney? Can anybody check that now?
Ms Perkins : I would say that sounds like the ballpark of the lease, but I would want to go back and check that number for you.
Senator COLLINS: That’s fine, because I’ve done back-of-the-envelope calculations here. You’ll have to excuse me for doing back-of-the-envelope calculations, but that’s all we’ve got to work on. What I can work out is that with the $83 million that was invested in Defence Plaza Sydney, amortised over 10 years, and with the cost of the lease, it equates to $314 million over 10 years for Defence Plaza Sydney. The Defence Estate Audit tells us that an average of 333 people work in that facility. From back-of-the-envelope calculations, that works out to be around $94,000 per person.
If we do the same thing with Victoria Barracks, there are 300 ADF and APS employees, according to the Delivering the Future Estate factsheet, with $20 million a year to keep it operational, so we’re talking $66,000 per person. You have given us evidence that the cost of running Victoria Barracks Sydney is substantially more, but my calculations tell a very different story. What’s your view on that? My understanding is it makes more sense to move the employees from Defence Plaza Sydney, where they have been underutilised, to Victoria Barracks.
Anthony Roberts MP (former Planning Minister and Jess Collins' local member) informs the NSW Legislative Assembly that he will be introducing legislation to make it almost impossible to rezone Defence land in New South Wales.
A Bill for an Act to amend the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to require approval by resolution of each House of Parliament before the making, amendment or repeal of an environmental planning instrument, or the exercise of any other planning function under that Act or under an environmental planning instrument, that would rezone, permit or facilitate the rezoning of, materially alter the planning controls applying to, or otherwise enable a material change in the development, use, subdivision, density, scale or intensity of use of, specified defence sites, whether or not the land is held by the Commonwealth; and for related purposes.
Jess Collins reveals that Richard Marles' hand picked 'independent auditors' are neither independent, nor auditors.
Jess Collins: Why is there no statement of independence? I understand you’ve identified that this is not a usual audit report, but it says that it is an audit. The government has identified that it’s an audit. In every audit, usually, you would have a statement of independence. You’ve called it an independent report. So where’s the statement of independence?