The Australian government has abandoned the controversial sale of Sydney's historic Victoria Barracks, keeping the heritage-listed site in public hands after months of protests and political opposition.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Sunday that the barracks and three other defence sites will not be sold. Instead, they will be transferred from the Department of Defence to the Department of Finance, with their historic elements preserved and the sites opened up for community use once defence personnel have moved out.

Four sites spared

The four sites are Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Melbourne, Fort Queenscliff and RAAF Base Point Cook in Victoria. They were among 67 defence properties identified in an independent estate audit as underused, not fit for purpose and costly to maintain, and earmarked for sale to raise money for the federal budget. The sale of the Sydney and Melbourne barracks alone had been expected to raise more than a billion dollars given their prime locations.

The planned sale drew fierce opposition from across the political spectrum, including former prime ministers John Howard and Paul Keating, veterans' groups and the Save Victoria Barracks Sydney campaign. More than 2,000 protesters attended a rally in Sydney against the disposal, and the New South Wales Labor government also urged the prime minister to abandon the proposal.

What happens next

Albanese said Victoria Barracks Sydney held a "special place in our nation's history" and would be kept in public hands. Defence Minister Richard Marles said the military needed to focus its spending on keeping people safe. The government will work with the Australian War Memorial once the sites are vacated to transform them into public spaces telling the history of Australia's military. Sydney's Victoria Barracks was built between 1840 and 1848 and was originally occupied by the British army.

[Source: europesays.com](https://www.europesays.com/australia/140361/) | [Source: federalnews.com.au](https://federalnews.com.au/defence/government-halts-controversial-sale-of-victoria-barracks-and-other/)