STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator COLLINS (New South Wales—Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate) (13:56): This Defence estate fire sale is an absolute disaster. I'm glad the government is in here to hear all about it. We have military personnel all over Australia that have been given orders to pack out of their bases, with nowhere to go.

There is chaos. There is confusion. The emotions are running absolutely hot.

There is distress. There is grief. There is concern.

There is anxiety. There are whole families that do not know where they will be in three months time. That is all because of the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, giving them eviction notices—eviction notices with absolutely no plan.

It is an absolute shame. There is growing opposition to the Defence estate mass sale of our Defence bases. We have had Sir Peter Cosgrove—the former governor-general, of all people—come out to help stop this egregious sale of our beloved Defence bases.

We've had Peter Garrett, a former Labor minister, come out and say: 'What are you doing? This is not a good idea.' The RSL president this week also came out and spoke in opposition on behalf of his veterans who are absolutely up in arms about this. Let me tell you something.

Victoria Barracks is not just 'an old wine cellar'. These are not just 'a bunch of whingeing generals', as the defence minister described them. What an absolutely egregious thing to say!

Victoria Barracks is the DNA of our Australian Defence Force. It is the fabric of the culture, identity and history of the ANZAC legacy. This defence minister wants to take it away.

I say to the Prime Minister: it is time to step in. This defence minister is now isolated from all the people around him, including the veterans community. (Time expired)