Well done to the Poms for winning a thrilling playoff for third against France at the World Cup. Despite my disappointment at how successive UK governments have destroyed that once-great country over the last 20 years, being Anglo-Irish on my mother’s side, I retain a soft spot for them. They could, and perhaps should, have won against Argentina but, for some inexplicable reason, after scoring the goal at the 55-minute mark, the coach put on a defensive lineup and did not attack. In any sport, once you get in front, you up the pressure and try to score again, as the more you score, the more likely you are to win. Attack is always the best form of defence.

Someone who appreciates this is Canberra’s very own Laurie (“the Lord”) Fisher, former ANU captain and coach, Brumbies coach, coach in Ireland, and forwards coach for the Wallabies, who sent him and coach Joe Schmidt off in style with a 57 to 10 thumping over Italy. Laurie has made a great contribution to rugby in this country, and he should get an Order of Australia for it, in my view.

The Wallabies are gradually improving so as to be a real contender for the World Cup next year. I would suggest some consideration be given by the ARU and ARL to the NRL giving one-year leaves of absence to its top three star players so they can play in the World Cup next year. I’d suggest they get paid $2 million each for playing. I’d play Payne Haas at either number 8 or 7 (openside breakaway), Nathan Cleary at five-eighth and Reece Walsh at fullback. I’m not completely sold on it, as there are many issues to consider, but both rugby league and rugby union are professional these days, so there is nothing to stop it happening if the powers that be decide to give it a go.

I usually agree with my old mate and fellow Parliamentary Sports Club colleague, former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, but his support for selling off over 60 defence establishments is hard to support. Some of them, sure. However, selling the historic Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is not only stupid but amounts to cultural vandalism. These historic sites are slap bang in the middle of our largest cities. Their value is priceless. The government hopes to get $1.5 billion if all the sites sell. In the grand scheme of things, that’s chicken feed. It would not even buy a single frigate, and I’ve seen some estimates that the sale proceeds might be as low as $190 million.

These sites are reminders of our colonial heritage. I know Sydney’s Victoria Barracks also plays host to various sporting and other events. I’ve played about six charity games of parliamentary rugby there, including a game against the famous Ella brothers. They are also green sites in big cities and open spaces we all need.

I recall well, and commend, BLF champion Jack Mundey, who used his union, the BLF, to save The Rocks in the early ’70s. Well done to him, and we are all the better for it. I hope the CFMEU does the same to save Victoria Barracks and the other historic military sites. The sale will raise very little money for defence. The government needs to cut some other programs to find the money.