FED Defence Minister Cannot Sell Defence Land to Private Buyers Unless It Is in the National Interest; Sales Must Be Explained to Parliament

Protecting Australia's Defence Heritage Bill 2026

Opposition Bill

14 Oct 2026: MPs in the first house are debating whether this bill is a good idea in principle.

Senate

House of Representatives

Assent

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Topics

government accountability government oversight land management land use national security

Introduced by: Senator James Paterson (LIB)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Defence Minister cannot sell or transfer ownership of defence estate land, or leases longer than 50 years, to private people or companies.
The Defence Minister can allow the sale of defence estate land if they decide it is in the national interest. To do this, the Minister must name the specific land in a legal instrument.
If the Defence Minister allows the sale of defence estate land, they must write a statement explaining why the sale is in the national interest.
The Defence Minister must give a copy of that explanation to both Houses of Parliament within two sitting days of the sale being approved.