Thousands of people gathered in Sydney’s Moore Park on Sunday to protest the planned sale of Victoria Barracks, as former prime minister John Howard called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene personally and halt what he described as “madness.”

The “Save Victoria Barracks” rally was originally scheduled outside the Oxford Street gates at Paddington but was moved to nearby Kippax Lake to accommodate the large crowd. The event brought together veterans, community advocates and politicians from across the political divide, all opposed to the Albanese government’s plan to dispose of one of Australia’s oldest and most significant military precincts.

Key facts

• Thousands rallied at Moore Park in Sydney on Sunday against the planned sale of Victoria Barracks.
• Former prime minister John Howard urged Anthony Albanese to intervene and stop the “madness.”
• The rally was organised by NSW Labor MP Marjorie O’Neill and Liberal senator for NSW Jess Collins.
• Attendees included federal independent MP Allegra Spender, NSW independent MP Alex Greenwich, Greens leader David Shoebridge, federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane and former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott.
• Defence Minister Richard Marles has earmarked the barracks for sale as part of a wider Defence asset disposal program.
• Marles has argued Defence should focus on combat readiness rather than managing heritage assets.

Victoria Barracks occupies a prominent site on Oxford Street in Paddington and has been part of Sydney’s military landscape since the 19th century. It is recognised as one of the country’s oldest military establishments and has served as a headquarters, depot and ceremonial starting point for troops deploying overseas. Its future was thrown into doubt after Defence Minister Richard Marles earmarked the landmark for sale under a wider Defence asset disposal program.

A cross-party rally against the sale

The rally was organised by NSW Labor MP Marjorie O’Neill and Liberal senator for NSW Jess Collins, a pairing that underlined the unusual political breadth of the campaign. Figures from across the spectrum addressed the crowd or joined the protest, including 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.

The presence of Labor, Liberal, Greens, independent and former government figures at the same event was notable. Opponents of the sale argue that Victoria Barracks is not simply surplus government property but a site with deep cultural and military significance. With veterans, politicians and community advocates calling for the site’s protection, pressure is mounting on Albanese and Marles to reconsider the planned disposal.

Howard said the campaign had united Australians from across the political divide behind a shared 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.

Howard: a national asset, not real estate

Addressing the audience, Howard gave an impassioned defence of Victoria Barracks and called on Albanese to personally step in to stop the sale. He said that if the prime minister were to intervene and cancel the plan, he would be the first to go on a Sydney afternoon radio program and congratulate him.

The former prime minister argued that Victoria Barracks was far more than valuable inner-city real estate and should be protected as part of Australia’s national story. “We think it is a precious, irreplaceable, not-for-sale national asset,” he said.

Howard pointed to the barracks’ role in Australia’s military history, including the departure of the first independent Australian military contingent to the Sudan War. “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,” he said.

He said that scene was repeated in later conflicts. “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.”

Howard also sought to pre-empt arguments that opposition to the sale was anti-development. He said he supported development and had close friends who were well-known developers who made a massive contribution. “But I don’t think anybody wants that contribution to be at the expense of our history and our soul as a country,” he said. “You don’t give that up for a few bob.”

History and symbolism of Victoria Barracks

The barracks’ significance extends beyond its buildings and land value. For generations of service personnel and their families, it has been a point of connection to Australia’s military past. The site’s Oxford Street frontage makes it one of the most visible military installations in central Sydney, while its internal spaces and ceremonial areas have been associated with training, administration and deployment.

Supporters of the campaign argue that selling the precinct would risk severing those historical links and handing a nationally significant site to commercial interests. They say the barracks tells a story about the evolution of Australian defence, from colonial contingents to the modern Australian Defence Force. The fact that units marched from the site to embarkation points has been central to the argument that it should remain in public hands.

The sale plan has also raised questions about how governments balance the management of historic defence properties with the needs of the military. Defence occupies a large and varied estate across Australia, and governments of different political persuasions have reviewed and disposed of assets that are deemed surplus to requirements. The dispute over Victoria Barracks turns on whether this particular site is genuinely surplus or whether its heritage value places it in a different category.

Taylor attacks budget rationale

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.”

Taylor’s remarks framed the sale as part of a broader political argument about economic management and defence priorities. The opposition has sought to portray the disposal as a short-term budget measure that could undermine Australia’s military heritage and public confidence in defence decision-making.

Marles defends disposal plans

Marles has defended the planned sale of Victoria Barracks by arguing that the military should focus on combat readiness rather than managing heritage assets. He 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 said in September.

The defence minister’s argument places the sale within a wider debate about defence funding and the opportunity cost of maintaining older properties. The government has not resiled from the disposal plan, and Marles has continued to present the military’s core mission as the priority. At the same time, the size and political diversity of the Sydney rally suggest that the campaign against the sale is unlikely to fade quickly.

The dispute now centres on whether Victoria Barracks should be treated as a strategic or heritage asset that remains in public ownership, or as part of a defence estate that can be rationalised to fund capability. With former prime ministers, current opposition leaders and crossbench MPs all calling for a rethink, the pressure on Albanese and Marles to explain and justify the decision has intensified.

Source:MSN News