The proposed $1.25 billion redevelopment of cadet housing at the Australian Defence Force Academy has been greenlit by a parliamentary committee.
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Defence has fine-tuned the project, bringing the estimated cost of delivery to $1018 million, excluding GST.
However the height of the buildings should be increased and electric vehicle chargers should be added, the federal public works committee has recommended.
The committee, chaired by Labor MP Graham Perrett, presented its report on July 1, which recommended the project be approved.
The billion-dollar accommodation project will replace the existing facility, which was built in the 1980s and posed a health and safety risk to cadets, Defence says.
The project proposes to demolish the existing Campbell accommodation and build 1500 new rooms for trainee officers.
It would also include offices for 100 supervisory staff, 1600 car parks, study spaces and common areas.
While it is a significant step forward for the project, Defence will still require approval from the National Capital Authority before it can go ahead.
Buildings could be scaled up to six storeys
The committee, chaired by Labor MP Graham Perrett, handed down nine recommendations on the project.
Among them was a recommendation for Defence to work with the NCA to revise the height restrictions for the campus and increase the height of the buildings to six storeys.
Defence had intended to build six lots of four-storey buildings, in line with the National Capital Authority's height restrictions.
![An artist's impression for the ADFA housing proposal. Picture supplied An artist's impression for the ADFA housing proposal. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/60e79820-783a-4ccc-a33c-919192dc0e52.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
During the inquiry, the committee questioned why four lots of six-storey buildings were not considered as a way to save costs and reduce the accommodation's footprint.
Defence advised that although the NCA had offered to allow taller buildings, the department said it did not explore the option because the changes would delay the project.
Defence also told the committee the amount of money it would save - $6 million - was not significant in the overall scale of the project.
The committee said the greater value was in the unused land savings.
"ADFA has a limited campus and the ability of Defence to use the space in the future is worthy of greater consideration," the report noted.
EV chargers to be added
The committee said it was "short-sighted" of Defence to not include electric vehicle chargers, given the young demographic of cadets and the increasing uptake of EVs.
It said there was ample time to revise the car park and finalise a Defence-wide policy on EV chargers.
"This will be cheaper and simpler than attempting to retrofit charging stations in the future," the committee said.
The committee recommended the department installs EV chargers, or conduits to facilitate them at a later date, in the proposed car parks.
Need for the project 'evident on several fronts'
The ADFA campus houses trainee officers while they undertake military and tertiary academic studies.
The existing accommodation buildings are about four decades old and presented health and security risks to trainee officers, the report noted.
More than 450 cadets were moved out of the accommodation in 2022 after black mould was discovered in several buildings.
The committee noted there was a lack of accessible rooms for cadets with disabilities or injuries.
![The four-storey ADFA buildings should be increase to six storeys, a committee says. Picture supplied The four-storey ADFA buildings should be increase to six storeys, a committee says. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/1de1dcb1-25b3-4754-a8ef-f428cedf286e.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The report noted "unacceptable behaviour", including gender or sex-related harassment, had been an issue at ADFA since its creation.
The new facilities would help to address workplace issues by creating "clear lines of sight" through the corridors and by including en suites in each room.
The current layouts are separated into corridors with four bedrooms and a shared bathroom.
The committee noted Defence's evidence that the "cluster plex" design contributed to poor behaviour, however it said the department could not rely on improved building layout to prevent incidents.
"The constricted layout, limited capacity and general poor state of repair justifies the need for replacement of the accommodation," the committee stated.