Whyte, Sally: War Memorial should ditch weapons manufacturers: Anti war organisation

Sally Whyte

War Memorial should ditch weapons manufacturers: Anti war organisation‘, Canberra Times, 21 May 2018 updated

Interview with Sue Wareham of Medical Association for Prevention of War (and one of Honest History’s distinguished supporters). Wareham discusses MAPW’s submission to the parliamentary inquiry into national institutions and is critical of the Australian War Memorial’s closeness to arms manufacturers and its entertainment approach to child visitors.

“One of the things our organisation would like to see [says Wareham] is that the AWM plans are a little less grandiose and actually get back to the basic function of commemoration of our war dead, which doesn’t require a huge and grandiose budget.”

Honest History’s submission to the inquiry raises similar issues. The Canberra Times piece includes a response from the Memorial.

Sue Wareham speaks to Tim Shaw on 2CC.

Some responses in letters to the editor. More. More.

Further article from Sally Whyte, including reactions from RSL and former War Memorial director, Brendon Kelson. More from Whyte. More from Whyte on Dr Chau Chak Wing’s assistance with a booklet about Chinese-Australian servicemen.

Australian War Memorial director Nelson jousts with Hamish McDonald on ABC RN. Director Brendan Nelson says he has been actively seeking these donations.

Honest History’s Carolyn Holbrook on The Drum (from mark 20.40).

Paul Daley in Guardian Australia: ‘Manufacture. Sell. Deploy. Commemorate.’ Put another way, the military-industrial-commemoration complex. Often helped along by a compliant media; not in Daley’s case.

Report that Minister Chester has asked the War Memorial to explain. Why not bring in codes of practice?

Earlier HH material on this issue can be found here (scroll down to ‘War Memorial’s donors still top of “gunrunners” league table’) and here and links from both places. Plus this article from 2011, originally published on the MAPW website.

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