Thousands of people gathered at Sydney’s Moore Park on Sunday to oppose the proposed sale of Victoria Barracks, as former prime minister John Howard called on Anthony Albanese to step in and end what he described as “madness”.
One of Australia’s oldest and most historically significant military precincts, Victoria Barracks has been included in a broader Defence asset disposal program after Defence Minister Richard Marles earmarked the site for sale.
The rally was organised by NSW Labor MP Marjorie O’Neill and NSW Liberal senator Jess Collins, attracting politicians from across the political divide who share concerns about the Albanese government’s proposal.
Federal independent MP Allegra Spender, NSW independent MP Alex Greenwich, Australian Greens leader David Shoebridge, federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane and former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott all voiced opposition to the sale.
Veterans, community advocates and politicians are urging Albanese and Marles to protect the site, intensifying pressure on the government to reconsider its plans.
The Save Victoria Barracks rally was initially planned for the Oxford Street gates in Paddington, but organisers moved it to nearby Kippax Lake in Moore Park after the expected crowd grew.
Speaking to demonstrators, Howard delivered a forceful defence of the barracks and appealed directly to Albanese to halt the proposed sale.
“Let me say that if the Prime Minister were to intervene and cancel any of this madness, then I will be the first to go on 2GB in the afternoon and congratulate Anthony Albanese,” Howard said.
Thousands gathered at Moore Park on Sunday to protest the proposed sale of Victoria Barracks
Veterans, politicians and community advocates are urging Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles to protect the historic site
The rally brought together supporters from across the political spectrum in opposition to the planned sale
Howard said the campaign had brought Australians from opposing political backgrounds together around a common cause.
“You will have the support of people irrespective of whether they are Labor, National Party, One Nation, whatever, and the Greens and independents, because they all care about our country. They care about its history and they care about our heritage,” he said.
The former prime minister said Victoria Barracks should be regarded as part of Australia’s national story, rather than simply as a valuable parcel of inner-city real estate.
“We think it is a precious, irreplaceable, not-for-sale national asset,” he said.
“Victoria Barracks was the site of the departure of the first independent Australian military contingent to the Sudan War. It marched from there and was farewelled by a mass crowd.
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“And, of course, that was repeated in the Boer War and World War I. Units marched from here to their points of embarkation. That’s part of the history of the place.”
Although he said he supported development, Howard argued that commercial priorities must not override Australia’s heritage.
“I believe in development. I have some close friends who are well-known developers, and they make a massive contribution,” he said.
John Howard strongly criticised the proposal to sell Victoria Barracks in his address to the rally
The Albanese government has defended to proposal to sell the barracks to save money
‘But I don’t think anybody wants that contribution to be at the expense of our history and our soul as a country.’
‘You don’t give that up for a few bob.’
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor used his speech to accuse the Albanese government of putting budget pressures ahead of national security and heritage.
‘We are fighting for our Defence Force at the most dangerous time since the Second World War. You know who said that? The Defence Minister,’ Taylor told the crowd.
He claimed the government was pursuing the sale because of budget pressures rather than a genuine strategic necessity.
‘We know the reason they say they’re going to do this is because they’ve run out of money. A trillion dollars of debt,’ he said.
‘This is chump change compared to what Jim Chalmers is spending right now.’
Marles has defended the planned sale of Victoria Barracks by arguing the military should focus on combat readiness rather than managing heritage assets.
Marles said Defence was not the best organisation to oversee a historic site, describing its core responsibility as equipping and protecting Australian troops.
‘Every dollar that Defence spends on the heritage of Victoria Barracks Sydney is in competition with a dollar that we would spend on defence capability, on making sure that we are giving our diggers the best protection possible,’ he told News24 in September.