The announcement of the impending departure of Australian War Memorial Director, Dr Brendan Nelson, was linked with reminders of his and his Council’s plans to expand the Memorial at a cost of $498 million over a number of years. Our campaign diary has followed events.
Recently, these further documents are well worth noting:
- former Memorial Director Brendon Kelson’s letter to Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Darren Chester, reiterating arguments for the ‘Mitchell option’ and pointing to the failure of a previous letter from the Minister’s office to come to grips with the issues;
- five summary arguments against the project, arguments used in Heritage Guardians meetings with politicians;
- Australian Institute of Architects officer Leanne Hardwicke’s letter to Finn Pratt, Secretary, Department of the Environment and Energy, on heritage aspects of the project, with particular reference to the proposed demolition of Anzac Hall, but noting other elements also;
- comments by Heritage Guardian, David Stephens, on the Memorial’s heritage management plan (the plan);
- an advertisement for the position of Director of the Memorial, noting that applicants need, among other attributes, to show an ’emotional connection to the purpose of the Memorial’.
3 September 2019