For the third year in a row, the management of the $550m redevelopment project at the Australian War Memorial is on the draft work program of the Australian National Audit Office as a potential performance audit. The ANAO is asking for public comments on the draft program and you can provide these at communication@anao.gov.au.
The deadline for comments is 20 April. Background information.
Honest History and Heritage Guardians have followed the history of the redevelopment project for the last four years. Arguments for this being an appropriate performance audit can be gleaned from that history.
The wording of the potential audit is under ‘Veterans Affairs’ on the ANAO website:
Management of the Australian War Memorial’s development project
This audit would examine the effectiveness of the Australian War Memorial’s management of the development project, including planning, achieving value for money in procurement, and progress to date in delivering the project.
The building, land and cultural assets held by the Australian War Memorial are valued at over $1.3 billion. In 2018, the government allocated $498.7 million over nine years in funding for the Australian War Memorial’s major development project, known as ‘Our Continuing Story’. In March 2022, the Australian Government allocated an additional $50 million in funding to offset the increased construction costs due to inflation and supply chain issues.
8 April 2023