Dispatch: Cadet units risk disbanding due to barracks sale

Two resident Australian Defence Force cadet units are at risk of being disbanded or amalgamated if the Department of Defence fails to find new homes before handing Leeuwin Barracks to the Department of Finance for sale. 

The federal government has identified the barracks as a property to be ‘fully divested’ under the Defence Estate Audit, with a Defence department representative saying it is hoping to complete the disposal process within a two-year period during a community information session earlier this month.

This will include efforts to rehome the 56 Army Cadet Unit and the air force cadets’ 703 City of Fremantle Squadron.

Both have a lengthy history and legacy relating to the East Fremantle site, the former establishing itself at the barracks after the then HMAS Leeuwin was transferred over to the army from the navy in the 1980s, and the latter being established during the Second World War under the auspeices of the Air Training Corps.

The department’s official position is that these cadet units will relocate to Palmer Barracks in South Guilford or to a yet-to-be arranged ‘new lease or community venue’.

Further clarification was sought and despite scant details a Defence spokesperson reaffirmed their support for the ADF cadet program and said that it is examining a ‘all options’ including hosting the units in Western Australian high schools.

“(We) place great value in the ADF cadet program and are committed to ensuring (it) continues to provide opportunities for young people across Australia,” the spokesperson said. 

“Defence is identifying options for all impacted cadet units in consultation with the cadet chain of command and units,”

“This process includes engaging with other levels of government, as well as schools and local community organisations.”

The spokesperson also said the new cadet unit locations will be announced once “necessary arrangements have been finalised and unit members have been consulted”.


#mytwocents

The rehousing of cadet units is arguably an overlooked aspect of the Defence Estate Audit. And while it makes sense to direct reserve units – who are serving members of the ADF – to new facilities and wind up the work of private contractors, finding a new home for what are essentially localised youth groups will require extra care and thought.

Their official position is also problematic.

If taken on face value, lumping the cadet units along with the reservists who will be relocated to Palmer Barracks suggests that the Leeuwin cadet units will take up residence there on top of three other units already present.

The issue becomes more apparent considering the same relocation option also applies to two other neighbouring cadet units at Irwin Barracks in Karrakatta, another defence site earmarked for ‘full divestment’ under the estate audit, potentially bringing up the number of cadet units at Palmer Barracks to six – four air force and two army cadet units.

With that many units present in one location, it would be logical to amalgamate them into the resident units to rationalise space and resources and not compete with the needs of operational ADF units.

The relocation could also prompt cadets to leave the affected units or the program entirely because South Guildford maybe too far to attend weekly parades or they may be unable to find alternative units closer to home, something cadets’ parents and family members will surely have to consider moving forward.

If disbandment or amalgamation does happen, another issue for the Defence department how it will handle the legacy of the units, some of which can trace their heritage to the Second World War or earlier.

Fortunately, this is not the desired outcome.

Finding a new home within the Fremantle area is what the department prefers, however the lack of a concrete response to my enquiries suggests they are in the early days of consultations and planning.

It remains to be seen in what way, shape or form the discussions with cadets, their parents, adult instructors and supporters will take and what will be discussed with department representatives and their service hierarchies. 

Popular posts from this blog

Turning over a new leaf

Sometimes things need a fresh start, which was especially true when my old platform started feeling more of a burden than a place of expression and public engagement. And the pressure to compete with journalistic peers also left me exhausted. There’s only so much you can do without resources, career pedigree and networks. However, this space on Blogger is my way of starting afresh – not from scratch but getting back to basics by, as Hemmingway puts it, opening my veins and letting myself bleed on the page, albeit an electronic one. Also, I am not built for OnlyFans. I have spent many years moving between journalism, publishing, consulting and the odd detour into places that do not always make sense on paper. What I have learned is that whatever you do in life, nothing beats lived experience, a spirit of inquiry and picking yourself up after being beaten down… literally and figuratively. And no matter what else I did, there is still ink in my veins. What will you find here In a nut...
Read more

Dispatch: Defence confirms timetable for Leeuwin Barracks disposal

(Last week I attended a community information session in Fremantle hosted by the Departments of Defence and Finance as part of their community stakeholder engagement for the disposal and eventual sale of Leeuwin Barracks. The decade-long seesawing of whether the federal government will sell the riverside property finally concluded with the release of the Defence Estate Audit in February, determining it was one of properties to be sold. I have followed this story since the 2022 general election, when the then-Morrison government announced facility upgrades for cadet units on defence bases, including Leeuwin Barracks, and an expansion of the cadet program should the Liberal National coalition win. They clearly did not, however I suspect it was just another vote-buying ploy, much like the white elephant covid quarantine facility in Bullsbrook to try and save the seat of a disgraced minister and the ‘boat gate’ scandal when the Liberal Party publicised classified information of the interce...
Read more