MORE: \u2018Had a gutful\u2019: Kmart, Coles, Woolies, Aldi slammed<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg)
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The Royal Australian Air Force Point Cook Base, known as RAAF Base Williams, is one of the properties up for sale.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory David Pocock at Parliament House last week. Picture: Hilary Wardhaugh\/Getty Images.<\/p>\n
This as the federal government is selling off 67 surplus Defence sites \u2013 an asset divestment confirmed in February following an independent audit of the defence estate spanning every state and territory, with no legal requirement for affordable housing components on relevant land.<\/p>\n
Senator Pocock\u2019s Commonwealth Land (Affordable Housing) Bill 2026 would require at least 30 per cent of all homes built on Commonwealth land sold or leased to private developers to be designated affordable \u2013 with rent capped at either 75 per cent of market rate or 30 per cent of the tenant\u2019s household income, whichever is lower. <\/p>\n
If supported, it would see a development of 200 homes on a single surplus site produce 60 dwellings rented at rates tied to what tenants can actually afford to pay. <\/p>\n
Eligibility would be limited to households earning below the median income for the relevant area \u2013 targeting key workers and middle-income renters locked out of the private market, not solely those in acute housing distress.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Victoria Barracks in Sydney is for sale. Picture: NewsWire \/ POOL\/ Flavio Brancaleone<\/p>\n
The bill passed its first Senate procedural hurdle without opposition and would require committee consideration and a vote \u2013 as well as government or crossbench support to pass.<\/p>\n
Senator Pocock, a former Wallabies captain, framed the bill as a response to what he described as a mounting housing crisis the Albanese Government had begun to address but not yet at the required scale. <\/p>\n
He pointed to the Housing Australia Future Fund \u2013 the centrepiece of the government\u2019s housing policy \u2013 as being \u201cmaxed out by the end of 2026\u201d and unable to extend its current program beyond 2029.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commend the Albanese Government on its focus on increasing social and affordable housing supply but urge them in their second term to increase their ambition,\u201d Senator Pocock said. \u201cThe job has only started on addressing housing in Australia and there\u2019s a lot of anxiety around what happens once HAFF round three concludes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
St Lucia Training Depot in Queensland is one of the prime inner-city properties up for grabs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the UK we see Andy Burnham promising the largest council house-building program in the post-war period,\u201d Senator Pocock said. \u201cCanada\u2019s National Housing Strategy is investing upwards of $82 billion in housing. We need the Australian Government to also go big.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot for March 2026, less than one per cent of all rentals available to let were affordable for a couple on the age pension.<\/p>\n
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council\u2019s 2026 Annual Report found the housing system \u201chas worked for some Australians rather than for all Australians\u201d, while National Shelter estimated a national shortfall of 640,000 social and affordable homes.<\/p>\n
STATUS OF DEFENCE ESTATE AUDIT SITES:<\/p>\n
ALREADY SOLD:
\nQLD:<\/p>\n
Garbutt (Duckworth Street)<\/p>\n
Magnetic Island (Amaroo Apartments)<\/p>\n
NSW:<\/p>\n
Haberfield Training Depot<\/p>\n
Penrith Training Depot<\/p>\n
SALES PROCESS STARTED:
\nVIC:<\/p>\n
Defence Site Maribyrnong<\/p>\n
NSW:<\/p>\n
Londonderry Transmitting Station<\/p>\n
ACT:<\/p>\n
Pialligo South<\/p>\n
NT:<\/p>\n
Stokes Hill Fuel Installation<\/p>\n
QLD:<\/p>\n
Strathmuir<\/p>\n
SET FOR PARTIAL SALE:
\nNT:<\/p>\n
Defence Establishment Berrimah<\/p>\n
VIC:<\/p>\n
HMAS Cerberus<\/p>\n
RAAF Williams \u2013 Laverton<\/p>\n
Swan Island<\/p>\n
NSW:<\/p>\n
HMAS Penguin<\/p>\n
Randwick Barracks<\/p>\n
QLD:<\/p>\n
Kokoda Barracks<\/p>\n
SA:<\/p>\n
Warradale Barracks<\/p>\n
UP FOR FULL SELL-OFF:<\/p>\n
ACT:<\/p>\n
Fairbairn golf course<\/p>\n
QLD:<\/p>\n
Atherton Rifle Range<\/p>\n
Milne Bay Training Depot<\/p>\n
Purga Rifle Range<\/p>\n
St Lucia Training Depot<\/p>\n
Victoria Barracks Brisbane<\/p>\n
NSW:<\/p>\n
Banksmeadow Training Depot<\/p>\n
Bathurst Stores Training Depot<\/p>\n
Lancer Barracks<\/p>\n
RAAF Glenbrook<\/p>\n
Spectacle Island<\/p>\n
Timor Barracks<\/p>\n
Victoria Barracks Sydney<\/p>\n
TAS:<\/p>\n
Buckland Military Training Area<\/p>\n
Burnie Training Depot<\/p>\n
Derwent Barracks<\/p>\n
Devonport Training Depot<\/p>\n
Fort Direction<\/p>\n
Scottsdale<\/p>\n
Stony Head Training Area<\/p>\n
Youngtown Training Depot<\/p>\n
VIC<\/p>\n
Carlton Training Depot<\/p>\n
Fort Queenscliff<\/p>\n
Geelong (Air Force Cadet unit)<\/p>\n
Kyneton Training Depot<\/p>\n
Latchford Barracks<\/p>\n
Newland Barracks<\/p>\n
RAAF Williams \u2013 Point Cook<\/p>\n
Repatriation Clinic \u2013 310 St Kilda Road<\/p>\n
Sandringham Training Depot<\/p>\n
St Kilda Training Depot<\/p>\n
Victoria Barracks Melbourne<\/p>\n
SA:<\/p>\n
Edinburgh Parks<\/p>\n
Hampstead Barracks<\/p>\n
Woodside Barracks<\/p>\n
WA:<\/p>\n
Irwin Barracks<\/p>\n
Leeuwin Barracks<\/p>\n
NT:<\/p>\n
Kowandi North<\/p>\n
(Source: Defence.gov.au)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under pressure over the housing crisis. Picture: NewsWire\/ Nadir Kinani A move to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":783132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-783131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/783132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}