Committee: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
Date referred: 11 March 2026
Submissions close: 17 April 2026
Reporting date: 15 September 2026

On the 11 March 2026 the Senate referred Management of Defence estate assets for inquiry and report. On 14 May 2026, the Senate agreed to extend the reporting date to 15 September 2026.

Terms of reference

The planning, management, utilisation and disposal of Defence estate assets, with particular reference to:

1. the alignment of Defence estate planning with Australia’s defence requirements;
2. the processes for planning and conducting acquisition, management, development, upgrade and disposal of Defence estate assets;
3. how the requirements of the permanent forces, reserve forces and cadet units are captured and incorporated into the planning and management of the Defence estate;
4. the financial assumptions underpinning estate divestment, including estimated remediation costs, net return projections, previous Defence property disposal programs and the transfer of responsibility from the Department of Defence to the Department of Finance;
5. the heritage significance of Defence estate assets and the adequacy of measures to protect that significance during and following divestment, including the impact on veteran and community connections to sites of military service;
6. the Defence estate audit, including its planning, conduct and the potential of the period between its completion and public release to have degraded validity of the audit’s findings;
7. consideration of an amended policy framework for the use of surplus Defence land that prioritises alternative public uses over private development; and 
8. any other related matters.