The federal government plans to sell $3 billion worth of historic military properties across the country. This follows a major audit of the 3 million-hectare defence estate. Under the plan, public servants will move to modern offices, and several heritage sites will be opened to the public for the first time.

Defence Minister Richard Marles released the audit results today. He agreed to recommendations to sell more than 60 properties. The list includes the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as islands in Sydney Harbour and a former munitions site in Maribyrnong, in western Melbourne.

After accounting for relocation costs and other expenses, the government expects a net profit of about $1.8 billion. Most of the money, up to $2.4 billion, will come from selling 26 major city sites. The move will also save about $100 million a year in maintenance costs for old, unused buildings.

Marles stated that every dollar raised will be put back into building military strength. The audit found that keeping sites that are rarely used was draining the budget. The authors of the report, Jan Mason and Jim Miller, said that keeping things as they are is no longer an option.