Established in 1927, the Woodside Barracks holds a significant place within the Adelaide Hills as an important economic contributor to our local community. It is also home to the 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, which hosts over 100 Army and Air Force cadets, providing young people in our region with the opportunity to participate in training and encouragement to pursue future military careers. The economic activity brought to the region by this operational base supports local jobs, and businesses. On 9 September 2024, I asked the Minister for Defence during Question Time about the future of the Barracks.

You can view the video of my Question to the Minister for Defence here:

Question to the Minister for Defence about the Woodside Barracks | 9 September, 2024

In his response, the Minister did not rule out sale of the land for housing, leaving our community in limbo, most likely until after the upcoming election. I found this disappointing and firmly believe our community deserves an answer sooner.

Beyond the military and economic impacts, the closure is also likely to result in considerable environmental damage, loss of significant trees and disruption to vital regrowth established following the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfires. Further, the increase in population that would accompany construction of thousands of new homes would place enormous strain upon existing infrastructure, ill-equipped to handle such growth.

Our community deserves certainty, and I will continue my advocacy to keep the Woodside Barracks operational to serve our defence needs and support our region. As I have said before, South Australia cannot be the Defence State if our Barracks keep closing.