The Abbott government may sell properties that house the departments of Treasury and Finance as a revenue raiser for its May budget.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has ordered a scoping study into the divestment options for six Commonwealth properties in Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle, including the John Gorton building that houses the Finance and Treasury building.
Senator Cormann said among the study's requirements will be the consideration of their future ownership, taking into account their significant ongoing maintenance and refurbishment requirements.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has been appointed as commercial adviser and Ashurst as legal adviser to assist with the scoping study.
"Ownership options will be considered in the context of the 2015/16 budget," Senator Cormann said in a statement on Friday.
"Importantly, the government has not yet made any decisions regarding the timing and structure of any potential sale."
Even so, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen and Labor finance spokesman Tony Burke said this decision creates uncertainty around where Treasury and Finance are to be located in the future.
"If the government is going to sell iconic Canberra buildings and simply lease back space to agencies, including Treasury and Finance, what guarantees will the government provide that its long-term lease costs don't outweigh the one-off sale proceeds?" they said in a joint statement.
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