22/05/2026
MEDIA RELEASE: DOWSING POINT ANNOUNCEMENT LEAVES VETERAN COMMUNITY FEELING MISLED
RSL Tasmania State President Mike Gallagher today expressed his disappointment and disbelief following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement yesterday regarding the redevelopment and transformation of 31 hectares of Defence land at Dowsing Point in Glenorchy.
In a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Honourable Richard Marles, only three weeks ago, State President Mike Gallagher was personally assured that any divestment of Defence estate assets would occur through a considered two-year process, with genuine opportunity for ongoing consultation and engagement.
It now appears that the Federal Government has reversed that position.
The promise made by the Deputy Prime Minister, along with the Defence Estate consultation team that met with communities in Devonport, Launceston and Hobart earlier this year, was that full consultation over a two-year period would occur before any final decisions were made.
Mr Gallagher said the announcement has left many within Tasmania’s veteran community questioning the integrity of the consultation process.
“How can we have confidence in what we are being told when, within the space of three weeks, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister appear to be delivering two very different messages?” Mr Gallagher said.
“To now find ourselves in this position leaves many within the veteran community feeling blindsided and misled.”
“When assurances are given to veterans and their representative organisations, they must mean something. They must be genuine, transparent, and honoured in both spirit and intent.”
Mr Gallagher said RSL Tasmania welcomes the news that the Defence and Veterans’ Workshop will be retained, along with the proposed development of green space surrounding Derwent Barracks for housing. However, he stressed that the barracks themselves contain the only Defence capability of its type in Tasmania, with currently no publicly identified Plan B.
“We absolutely recognise the importance of additional housing during a time of significant housing pressure, and we wholeheartedly welcome any responsible initiative that increases housing supply for Tasmanians,” he said.
“However, this should not overshadow the broken promise concerning consultation, nor the unanswered questions around Defence capability.”
To date, RSL Tasmania said it has seen no detailed plan explaining how Defence intends to divest key estate assets within Tasmania without a corresponding loss of critical capability.
“Until such a plan is presented, our concerns remain substantial and unresolved,” Mr Gallagher said.
“Derwent Barracks contains genuine critical Defence capability. The question that now needs to be asked is whether its fate and potentially the fate of other Defence sites across Tasmania, has already been decided.”
ENDS
