‘$50 million jump in cost of Australian War Memorial revamp‘, Canberra Times, 1 July 2022 (pdf from our subscription) updated
This page 1 story is surprising only because it has taken so long to become public. Rumours of blowouts have been around for some time. There have been two capital injections. No-one, though, seems to have followed up on the ‘personal guarantee’ given by then Memorial Council Chair, Kerry Stokes, to the then government that the cost of the project to the government would not exceed $500 million. Perhaps someone should knock on Mr Stokes’s door and ask for a contribution. Or perhaps the project could be trimmed back to fit the original budget. Over to you, Albanese government!
The story itself is full of bureaucrat speak from Director Anderson. And warnings of future cost increases.
Update: similar story on The Riot Act.
Update 2 July 2022: follow up story from Canberra Times (pdf from our subscription). Includes a video and repeats the nonsensical claim by Director Anderson that making the building bigger increases its heritage value.