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November 8, 2026
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly overruled his Defence Minister Richard Marles after months of public pressure, announcing a partial backflip on Labor’s reckless defence estate fire sale.
After opposition across party divides, and a petition signed by almost 125,000 Australians led by the Coalition, the Albanese Labor government has today announced the cancellation of plans to sell off the following key defence estate locations:
While these sites will now stay in public hands, it is not clear they will remain active defence facilities, leaving questions for Labor about the critical need for a military presence and capability in Melbourne and Sydney.
While this is a win for Australia’s defence heritage, it is only the beginning. The Coalition will continue to fight to save other critical defence sites, including HMAS Penguin, Lancer Barracks, Irwin Barracks, and more.
It is also now up to the Albanese Government to explain how they will ensure defence capability will be adequately funded. The Coalition renews its call for Defence funding to be raised to 3 per cent of GDP without relying on a short-sighted fire sale of defence assets to raise funds.
ENDS