Politics Now Should we expect bold budget ideas?
Feb 4, 2026
They dig into the government’s planned $3 billion defence land sell-off and what it could mean for housing and local communities. They talk heritage and commuting worries as sites are divested. They unpack budget pressure from inflation and recent rate rises and debate whether big fiscal reforms are realistic in May. They also discuss political optics, opposition weakness and state-level right-wing dynamics.
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Defence Property Sell-Off Is Complicated
- The Albanese Government plans to sell about $3 billion of defence properties to cut costs and free assets for other uses.
- Patricia Karvelas warns heritage limits and slow sales mean it may not deliver quick cash or housing wins.
Clean Up Enables Bigger Defence Spending
- The sell-off is as much about forcing Defence to trim legacy costs as it is about raising revenue for submarines.
- Raf Epstein says freeing back-office costs lets Defence justify larger future spending requests.
Defence Staff Worried About Family Impacts
- A Defence employee texted that selling sites feels like using assets to fund submarines at the expense of defence families.
- The message highlights real workforce and commuting concerns inside Defence communities.