Greg Warren has joined the fight to save Victoria Barracks. The State Member for Campbelltown has joined Coogee MP Marjorie O’Neill to oppose its inclusion in a $1.8 billion federal Defence sell-off.

Writing to Defence Minister Richard Marles, Warren did so not just as a parliamentarian, but “as a veteran and former soldier of the Australian Army”.

“Victoria Barracks is not an abstract line item to me,” he wrote in a two-page letter.

“It is the spiritual heartland and birthplace of the Australian Army, and a place where I personally had the honour of serving as a member of the Honour Guard.”

Warren warned that the site remains “a strategically vital command and operational centre” and declared, “Ultimately, this matter goes to honouring service, respecting our shared history, preserving essential defence capability… some places are simply too important to be sold. Victoria Barracks must remain in the care of the Australian people.”

The barracks is among 67 Defence properties flagged for potential sale, though unlike 14 others, it is still in active use.

But Marles insists sentiment cannot outweigh strategy, saying during a recent site visit, “This is an extraordinary site… but measured against the sites that we have across the country, is not large in terms of personnel who are based here.”

He pointed to $50 million spent on maintenance in five years and a projected $200 million more over the next decade, arguing nearby Defence Plaza, 60 per cent vacant, could absorb administrative functions.

“To maintain operations here going forward simply doesn’t make sense,” Marles said.

The NSW Government signalled it would explore housing and open-space opportunities if the sale proceeds.

Yet as Paddington rents surge and developers circle, critics warn the stakes stretch beyond real estate.

“Our Defence Force is not a heritage organisation, it is a defence organisation,” Marles is quoted as saying.

For Greg Warren and Marjorie O’Neill, the fight is about more than bricks and balance sheets. It is about memory, service and whether history can be priced.