A former Defence Minister has given his support for the sale of some of Australia’s defence force sites.

Joel Fitzgibbon has told Michael McLaren that a lot of money is being spent on maintenance for sites that aren’t being used.

“If we could offload about 50 or 55, or 60 … that would be a lot of money going back to where it really counts,” he said on 2GB Afternoons.

He added there’s a lot of fat in the Defence ministry that could be better spent on war fighters.

“I’d rather see half of Victoria Barracks go to housing … the heritage value can be retained for public access.”

Labor MP for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill has called on Richard Marles to not sell off the historic Victoria Barracks site.

“I live very close to Randwick barracks, I walk past the land that is being sold off … I can say, ‘Yep, turn that into housing, it is underutilised land,” she said.

“Victoria Barracks is completely different, the historical significance of it, not just to the army, but to the people of our country. It has been an active base since 1840,” she added.

Listen to more highlights from Afternoons below:

Image: Getty Images/Mark Brake,  Matt King/Getty Images for Rugby Australia