Military families face being moved out of Victoria Barracks in Paddington before alternative accommodation is secured, critics say, as the federal government pursues the sale of the 178-year-old site. Former prime minister John Howard will speak at a rally on Sunday, organised by the Save Victoria Barracks Alliance, which has been moved from the barracks gates to Moore Park near Kippax Lake on police advice about expected crowd size.
Howard said he would demonstrate the "depths of community resentment" over the proposal. "Like many in the community I resent the Albanese government's indifference to our proud national and military history in proposing the sale of sites which are part of that history," he said in a statement.
The barracks is one of 67 Defence properties earmarked for full or partial sale after an independent review of ageing and underused military assets, part of a program aiming to raise up to $3 billion for other Defence priorities. As of December 2025, up to 250 permanent Australian Defence Force personnel were based there, along with 50 to 100 public servants, 150 to 200 reservists and 50 to 100 cadets. The site houses Headquarters Forces Command, the 2nd Health Brigade, a museum, cadet training and residential accommodation.
Critics warn plans to relocate up to 12 families, including children, are being rushed. Defence has proposed moving administrative staff to Defence Plaza Sydney, about two kilometres away, and cadets to Randwick Barracks or community facilities, but has not publicly detailed where every operational unit or military household would go.
The timetable has shifted. A September planning order requiring personnel to leave by December 19 was rescinded after the department said it had been "erroneously" issued. Defence later said relocations would begin in the fourth quarter of the year and that no final decisions had been made. A Defence spokesperson said consultation had begun, with most personnel expected to move off-site before the end of 2026, and the transition "will be managed carefully and sensitively, supporting our people, families and the broader Defence community while preserving its heritage, history and legacy".
Defence Minister Richard Marles has signalled he wants to move quickly, saying last month he expected Defence to leave the affected sites "as soon as possible". Liberal senator Jess Collins, chairing a Senate inquiry into the sales, said serving personnel have been silenced. "The army has been gagged. The Defence Force cannot speak up about it," she said.
RSL NSW president Vince Williams, a retired vice-admiral, criticised the rush. "It's appalling, kicking people out in a hurry and sticking them into an office tower in Pitt Street, or into bunk beds in Randwick Barracks without having replacement full-time accommodation sorted out beforehand," he said. "It's the message it's sending that is terrible for morale."
The financial case has also drawn scrutiny. Defence has declined to disclose expected proceeds, telling the inquiry that releasing figures could "diminish" the Commonwealth's negotiating position. The Department of Finance reported $2.72 million spent on external advisers to August 31, including $1.66 million in fees paid to KPMG.
The alliance has attracted support across party lines, including NSW Labor MP Marjorie O'Neill, who has called the barracks the army's "spiritual home", independent federal MP Allegra Spender, and former Wallabies captain Simon Poidevin, whose grandfather served there in World War I. "They've got kids and families, they're active members of surf clubs and sporting groups and they're now asking where will they go," Poidevin said. Spender said the site should remain in public hands: "This is not something that needs to be turned into a boutique hotel or a wedding venue."
The rally follows a separate protest this month over the partial sale of HMAS Penguin at Balmoral, where hundreds turned out in opposition.