Parramatta City Council is calling on the Federal Government to reconsider its plans to sell Lancer Barracks, the oldest active military facility in Australia.
The Federal Government earlier this year identified an array of defence sites for potential sale, aiming to unlock up to $1.8 billion in revenue. Included in the list was Parramatta’s Lancer Barracks.
Lancer Barracks is a 1.23 hectare site located on Smith Street in the CBD adjacent to Parramatta Square.
Parramatta Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter, through a Mayoral Minute at the most recent Ordinary Meeting, sought Councillors’ endorsement to place Council in a position to collaborate on the site’s future.
Liberal Councillor Tanya Raffoul supported the Mayoral Minute but amended it to change Council’s stance to opposing to the sale in its entirety, a bold move from the Council.
“I think as a Council the first thing we need to do is take a very strong stance against the sale of this asset. I think it should be an exclusion,” she said.
“I think it is quite clear that the Federal Government have realised that they have inappropriately managed their defence budget and so they are trying to flog off any asset that they can find to cover that void or whole in their budget. The Lancer Barracks site should not be one of them.”
Raffoul’s amendment meant that Council would position themselves to strongly oppose the sale of the Lancer Barracks completely, and Zaiter would write to the Federal Member for Parramatta Andrew Charlton and Federal Minister of Defence Richard Marles asking them to reconsider their position on the sale of Lancer Barracks.
The amendment outlines that if the government does not change its mind regarding the sale, then Council would seek opportunity for engagement and collaboration on the site’s future.
Councillor Kellie Darley supported Raffoul’s amendment, labelling the potential sale of the site as “appalling”.
Despite the amendment passing unanimously, major debate was sparked in chambers between the Labor and Liberal parties.
Zaiter said the site was of strategic significance to the city and the priority should be keeping it in public ownership.
“Lancer Barracks is a priceless part of Parramatta’s story and Australia’s history dating back to the 1800s, and it should not just be sold off to the highest bidder,” Zaiter said.
“We cannot risk losing a significant piece of our history.”
City of Parramatta Council has written to the Federal Government requesting they reconsider their position on the future of Lancer Barracks.
