Main Entrance Opening Remarks

Dhawura nguna, dhawura Ngunnawal.

Yanggu ngalawiri, dhunimanyin

Ngunnawalwari dhawurawari.

Nginggada Dindi wangirali jinyiin

I pay my respects to the Ngunnawal peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands on which we meet, and to their elders, past and present.

And, as we do here at the Last Post Ceremony every evening, I honour and welcome those of you who have served, those of you still serving, and the families who love and support you.

Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Minister for Veterans Affairs and Defence Personnel and Cabinet Ministers

The Leader of the Opposition and your Shadow Cabinet members

Senators and Members of Parliament

Our Vice Chief of the Defence Force and Chiefs of the Royal Australian Navy, Army and Royal Australian Air Force. I acknowledge too your Warrant Officers and RSMs.

Lieutenant Generals Fox and Coyle.

Chairman of the Memorial Council, Kim Beazley and Susie Annus

Council Members Greg Melick, Glenn and Mel Keys and The Hon Warren Snowden

Our 98 year old Fellow of the Memorial, Maggie Beadman

Secretary of DVA Alison Frame

Thank you for taking time out of your punishing schedules to attend the Parliamentary Last Post Ceremony.

We chose Pilot Officer ‘Ted’ Suffren, from 460 Sqn RAAF, to be honoured tonight as a reminder that this year we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. We were touched David and Chloe Pearson, Ted’s family, travelled from Ballarat to honour him – and us - today.

Throughout the year we will tell the stories of the nearly 1 million women and men who enlisted to serve and the 40,000 who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Second World War.

This year we will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and remember that during April 1975 a RAAF detachment of eight Hercules transports flew humanitarian missions to aid civilian refugees displaced by the fighting and carried out the evacuation of Vietnamese orphans (Operation Babylift), before finally taking out embassy staff on 25 April.

But back to this space – what I am sure you will agree is one of the nation’s great spaces - which three years ago was an earth bund you walked over to enter the commemorative area. There was a 1940s plant room to the north, and the Colonial galleries, which were typically only found if you were lost and looking for the exit.

No easy access from the car park or our sculpture gardens for those in wheelchairs, with kids in strollers or accessibility devices.

Prime Minister, I’m pleased to report we have hit every mark of this most ambitious project. Or projects; three simultaneous works packages at the front, side and rear of the Memorial while remaining open to the public and keeping our staff and visitors safe. The fourth works package will take us out to 2028.

The Parade Ground was commissioned by veterans last ANZAC Day.

Importantly, the first steps on it were taken by Damien Thomlinson, who lost his legs to an IED strike in Afghanistan in April 2009 when serving with 2nd Commando Regiment.

We reopened the commemorative entrance in time for Floriade, and we had a soft opening of the Southern Entrance in time for Christmas and Summernats so we could do away with ticketing for the first time since the pandemic.

In the past year we have welcomed 960,000 visitors. Kings and Queens, Mums and Dads, Veterans and their families.

70,000 have attended the daily last post ceremony.

And we have hosted 100,000 school children.

I thank many of you who have taken the opportunity to attend a school wreath laying when we’ve had kids travel from schools in your electorates.

It means the world to the kids, and to us.

Prime Minister, I was struck last week during the Australia Day citizenship ceremony when you reminded our newest Australians that the first citizenship ceremony was conducted in 1949 and you linked it to the Memorial that had opened only 8 years earlier: The connection between citizenship and this place of memory.

This place of commemoration through understanding.

We have many great institutions in Canberra which reveal something of our national character – but this is the ONLY place people can come to understand what our citizens, the young Australian men and women are prepared to fight and, if necessary, to die for.

If I could direct your eyes to the stunning Scott Carver designed oculus – 12 tonnes of Australian steel and Spanish glass – you will see repeated below it the 15 values from the stained glass windows in the Hall of Memory and which flank the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier.

As we entered this evening, I accompanied the Leader of the Opposition, and I mentioned this is likely one of very few institutions in the country which encourages the celebration of ‘Patriotism’ amongst the other values.

On entry we ask our visitors where they might find these 15 values in our galleries, archives and the 103,000 names on our Roll of Honour, where the average age is just 23.

And on exiting this Memorial we hope all visitors will reflect on where they might find them in society – in our veterans and first responders - and certainly many of them burn brightly in anyone, anywhere who puts service before self.

I was asked how we managed to match so closely the new sandstone with the old.

It was simple.

All we had to do was go back to the original quarry from the 1930s at Wondabyne near Gosford. And wait for the train line to close – which they do twice a year - before barging it down the same river.

Simple.

And if I can draw your attention to the large screens behind you to the Places of Pride – the video runs for 28 minutes and features Memorials from every state and territory.

From the city and the bush.

In the portal beside it visitors can search for their post code and see the crowd sourced photos of the memorials in almost every town and district.

It is intended as a reminder that we are national Memorial, but connected to 12,000 Places of Pride across the country – in the cities, towns and districts from which the men and women of this great nation volunteered to serve, and over 103,000 paid the ultimate sacrifice.  

We have a stunning 250 person lecture theatre – and another fun fact. I’m looking at the Minister for Veterans Affairs here – Minister, 10 percent of the value we attached to assessing the tenders for the main works packages was allocated to their veterans’ engagement strategy.

When Kane reached the deepest point of excavation (beneath the stage), veterans working on the project tipped off currently serving members of 2nd Commando Regiment, who travelled from Sydney to have their unit and sub-unit challenge coins wired to the foundations.

They wanted to be associated with the Memorial from the ground up.

And forever.

That gesture, perhaps more than any other, told me we were building this for the right reasons.

But tonight marks one step in this storied place.

I’m pleased to report we will achieve practical completion of the Bean Building and Research Centre this week, and staff will then relocate, before opening the new research centre to the public.

The crane will come down this month.

And in March, we start lowering large technology objects – a bushmaster, a rigid hull inflatable boat, a long range patrol vehicle and an FA-18 flown by the current Chief of Air Force – into lower ANZAC hall.

And by this time next year, the Afghanistan, Iraq, Peacekeeping Galleries and ANZAC Atrium should all open.

I must thank my staff who have kept the Memorial open safely for the public, and to the Development team who have built these magnificent buildings safely around us. Again, 50 Olympic swimming pools or 9500 truck and trailer loads of dirt!

Thank you to all who work here for not losing sight of why we were doing this.

And for who.

But most importantly tonight, I thank all of you for being here for yet another milestone in this place of memory and meaning, and I invite the Prime Minister to the podium.