The public meeting held at the Mosman Club, Thursday evening, 21 May 2026, by Headland Preservation Group (HPG), in conjunction with Mosman Parks & Bushland Association was attended by an estimated 500 people with many turned away when the venue reached capacity.
The meeting was organised because the Albanese government plans to sell Defence sites across Australia, including HMAS Penguin, which has caused concern in the community.
In the weeks leading up to the meeting a team of 20 volunteers letterbox- dropped 12,000 flyers informing the community about the meeting and amplifying their concerns.
HMAS Penguin includes heritage-listed buildings and six hectares of ancient Angophora Forest.
Community members expressed anger that the deeply flawed decision to sell public land has already been made in the absence of:
an impartial and professional audit;
meaningful community consultation;
due diligence regarding heritage and environmental protections;
assessment of the loss of public benefit; and
a transparent cost-benefit analysis.
Our Speakers
A panel of eminent speakers addressed the meeting, including Senator Jess Collins, Chair of the Senate Inquiry into the Management of Defence estate assets, Senator David Shoebridge, Inquiry Committee Member, Maj. Gen. Gus McLachlan (Ret’d.) and Nick Hollo, former Deputy Executive Director, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
Senator Shoebridge was critical of the process used to justify the proposed sale, stating: “I want to be clear about one thing, this has been sold as a Defence audit … This was not done by auditors, it was not done to the standards of an audit, it was not impartial and professional.”
Major General Gus McLachlan (Ret’d) told the meeting that surplus Defence land should remain public land, stating: “If Defence does not need this land, then the land belongs to the community and we should give it back, not hand it to property developers.”
The meeting also heard from 10 year old Billy Brell, a local Year 5 primary school student, whose speech drew a strong response from the audience: “I often hear adults say, ‘We must protect the environment for the next generation’. Well…I am the next generation. And I am asking you to protect this one. Because once this land is sold, my generation doesn’t get a choice. We only get what is left over.”
View speaker videos and/or read full transcripts here ➞
Public meeting resolution
The meeting resolved unanimously that HMAS Penguin is Commonwealth land, managed by the Department of Defence, and belongs to all Australians:
“If defence has no further use for part of HMAS Penguin, the part to be divested must be retained by the Commonwealth Government and managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust (Harbour Trust) , a statutory authority, with heritage and environmental obligations and appropriate infrastructure and expertise to manage the site.”
Thursday night’s meeting was the start of a wider public campaign to keep HMAS Penguin in public hands and protect its heritage, environment, and community value for future generations.