In response to the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, the Government commissioned an independent audit of the Defence estate to assess whether the estate footprint was fit-for-purpose.

The Audit considered a range of estate-related matters to ensure the Defence estate is best positioned to support operational and capability requirements.

The Audit was conducted by 2 independent co-leads, Jan Mason and Jim Miller, who together visited Defence locations and engaged with stakeholders across Government, Defence and industry. 

The Report

The Defence Estate Audit was delivered to Government in December 2023.

The Report made recommendations aimed at re-orienting the Defence estate to meet current and future capability needs. The Government has accepted the Audit's recommendations for a focused program of consolidation and divestment across multiple sites aimed at rationalising and reorientating the estate towards contemporary and future security challenges.

Other recommendations relate to aligning facilities to capability priorities including accelerating the transition to an integrated, focused force, driving greater consolidation and shared use of facilities, embedding consideration of alternative finance and delivery models, and provisioning for whole-of-lifecycle costs in project budgets.

Delivering the Future Estate: Defence Estate Audit Report (PDF, 4.26 MB)

Key findings

The Defence Estate Audit identified that:

• The Defence estate is too large and is on an unsustainable trajectory.
• Parts of the estate are unsafe, unused or unserviceable.
• There are too many facilities in the southern parts of the country.
• Strategic transformation is required to ensure the estate remains fit-for-purpose and capability aligned.

Government response

The Government has endorsed the Report’s recommendations, including:

• A targeted program of consolidation, rationalisation, and divestment to ensure that Defence has a fit-for-purpose estate that serves current and future strategic needs.
• The whole or partial divestment of 67 Defence holdings, which do not align with current or future capability priorities.
• Proceeds from Defence estate divestments to be retained by Defence and reinvested in broad Defence Strategic Review priorities.

The Government recognises the deep historical and personal significance of many Defence sites, particularly for our veteran community. As part of the response, the Government is committed to preserving and enhancing public access to historically significant sites and collections to ensure as many Australian's as possible can access and appreciate our military history.

Delivering the future estate

Learn more about the future of the Defence estate.