Australia will keep four of its most historic Defence sites in public ownership, the Albanese government has announced in the first major update to the independent Defence Estate Audit since February. Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff and RAAF Williams at Point Cook will not be sold, with their heritage protected by law and public ownership.

The government had agreed to divest or partly divest 67 Defence sites that the audit found were underused, not fit for purpose and costly to maintain. Defence has now transferred 11 of those sites to the Department of Finance for divestment, and the workforce will have been relocated from six sites by the end of 2026, the joint ministerial release said.

The four heritage sites will be opened up for community access, with opportunities for appropriate commercial use, and the Australian War Memorial will be engaged to help interpret and tell their history to the public. Due diligence, including environmental and contamination assessments, will continue.

The update also settles the future of several other sites. The Stokes Hill Fuel Installation in the Northern Territory will be transferred back to the Larrakia people, the traditional owners of the land, part of which is a registered sacred site. At HMAS Penguin in Sydney, Defence will retain the parts supporting critical capability while the Angophora Forest section passes to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

Two golf courses on Defence land will keep operating as golf courses: Fairbairn Golf Course in Canberra and the Swan Island course in Victoria. Other sites, including the Carlton Training Depot in Melbourne, will be listed on the open market from early 2027. The sell-off had been expected to raise about $1.8 billion, and the reversal follows months of community protest.