Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and his important connection himself to that sacred place, the Australian War Memorial. It was wonderful to welcome so many from across our parliament to the Australian War Memorial last night to mark the official opening of Anzac Hall and the atrium, along with the Governor-General. Most importantly, we were joined by many ADF members and veterans, all with a very special connection to the memorial.

The Australian War Memorial is our national home of commemoration, a sacred place. The roll of honour on the walls of the War Memorial features the names of over 103,000 Australians who have lost their lives in war, conflict and peacekeeping operations. Behind each of those names is a person and families who loved them. The Australian War Memorial shares their stories and the stories of all those who have served in our nation's uniform.

This expansion of the War Memorial provides the opportunity to properly tell the stories of modern conflicts, such as Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations and the Middle East, their causes, conduct and consequences. This has been a nationally significant project, supported by the opposition and government. This expansion to the War Memorial delivers on the vision of the memorial's founder, Charles Bean, for a shrine, an archive and a museum. The expansion has been achieved through the work and vision of many. There were almost 2,000 workers on the project, and more than 100 of those were veterans continuing their service through this project that commemorates their mates. They've not just expanded what was there; they've painstakingly repaired and replaced what was needed to preserve a memorial built during the Depression for generations to come. This also included the installation of the largest geothermal system in the Southern Hemisphere to regulate the temperature in the memorial and to protect its artefacts—as well as those of us there on a cold Canberra night!

Despite the scale of the construction that's taken place over the years, they've kept the doors open 364 days a year, even through the depths of COVID, always being conscious that for anyone who seeks to visit the memorial to learn and commemorate the service of our nation they should be able to do so. I thank all of those that have been part of this important national project and look forward to the final elements coming together by 2028—the pre-1914 galleries and an interactive learning centre—to make sure generations to come can learn our nation's history of service and sacrifice and to never forget the great cost of war. Lest we forget.

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