Media Statement | Department of Defence proposed demolition of WWII heritage

The birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force is under threat as the Department of Defence plans to demolish historic buildings essential to Australia’s war efforts during WW II.

The Department is proposing to remove 19 buildings from the Royal Australian Air Force Point Cook Base, known as RAAF Base Williams, the original home of Australia’s air force in 1921.

The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and the Australian Council of National Trusts are alarmed by a proposal from the Department of Defence to demolish and remove buildings of significant historical relevance at Australia’s oldest air force base.

Slated for demolition are possibly Australia’s only remaining World War II British-built hangars and the armament store built between the wars – irreplaceable buildings of international historic importance.

The base was constructed near Melbourne in 1914 and although the airfield has been decommissioned by the RAAF, the base continues to play an active role 110 years later.

It is also home to the RAAF Museum, the official museum of Australia’s air force which welcomes visitors from around Australia and across the world to the original base of the world’s second oldest air force.

Chair of the Australian Council of National Trusts, Lachlan Molesworth said that many of the buildings had fallen into disrepair despite the site being included on the National Heritage list in 2007.

“The National Trust believes the Department of Defence proposal for the demolition and removal of 19 structures at RAAF Base Point Cook presents a significant and irreversible threat to the national heritage values of this historic place,” Mr Molesworth said.

“Under National and Commonwealth Heritage Listings, 15 of the 19 buildings proposed for demolition are considered to have some heritage significance.”

The Australian Council of National Trusts believes the deterioration of the buildings on Commonwealth land and the resulting request to demolish them “to reduce on-going maintenance costs,” demonstrates a case of “demolition by neglect”.

“The demolition of these buildings would signal an unacceptable double standard to the Australian community: that the Commonwealth Government allows the deterioration and resulting demolition of its own nationally significant heritage assets,” Mr Molesworth added.

The Point Cook RAAF Base was established in 1914, primarily for the Air Force. The site is still used today by some squadrons and due to its continued use since 1914, it is Australia’s oldest air base and one of the world’s oldest continually operating airfields.

National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Interim Chief Executive Officer Philip Martins said the National Trust classified the Point Cook RAAF Base at the level of international significance in 2004 and had worked with stakeholders to campaign for the protection of the site for more than 20 years. The site was included on the National Heritage List in 2007.

“The National Trust has been campaigning against “demolition by neglect” for many years. It is vital that all levels of heritage protection stand as a control that cannot be circumvented via deliberate disrepair,” Mr Martins said.

“Since 2010 the National Trust has warned that the lack of commitment to maintenance and appropriate reuse of heritage structures at the base are inadequate to ensure the protection of one of the most important heritage places in Australia.”

The National Trust intends to make a submission directly to the Department of Defence before the closing date on 11 April 2024. Submissions can be made to the Department of Defence here.

Further information:

• Royal Australian Air Force – Establishment of Point Cook
• Royal Australian Air Force – About RAAF Base Point Cook
• Preliminary Document Report: Demolition of Structures at RAAF Williams – Point Cook

For media enquiries, please contact media@nattrust.com.au

Image: Phil Vabre (GFDL or GFDL), via Wikimedia Commons