Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday it was my honour to attend a service that marked the second anniversary of the Australian ex-prisoner of war memorial, where 269 additional names were added to the granite wall. The memorial pays tribute to over 35,000 Australian ex-POWs, 8,000 of whom died overseas whilst in captivity—the remainder came home bearing the scars of their experiences. One of the names on the memorial wall is the man that the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Minister for Foreign Affairs paid their respects to yesterday: the Hon. Sir Reginald Swartz, a former member of this place and a former POW. Peter Blizzard OAM, who has recently received his OAM, largely for his work on the memorial, designed the wonderful granite wall that contains over 35,000 names.

It is important to note that the Australian ex-POW memorial, whilst it is located in Ballarat, is of national significance. It contains all 35,000 names. A large amount of research was undertaken to get all the names. The current Changi Chapel, which exists within the parliamentary precinct, is unfortunately the only place that is recognised as a national memorial for ex-POWs. Whilst I do not want to detract from the significance of the Changi Chapel, it really is not the national ex-POW memorial. The government has failed to recognise that, despite the fact that the memorial in Ballarat has not been funded solely by the Commonwealth government—it has been funded by state, private enterprise and the efforts of many ex-POWs—it speaks to many POWs and their families far more than the Changi Chapel. I have called previously, and will be calling again, on the new Minister for Veterans’ Affairs to recognise the national significance of the Australian ex-POW memorial in Ballarat, because it contains 35,000 names.

On any weekend you can see the masses of poppies along the wall. Families are visiting from all across Australia to see their family member’s name on the wall. It is a memorial of national significance. It does not require any legislative change in order to be recognised as such; it requires the will of the government to recognise that this memorial has emerged from the Australian ex-POW community. It speaks far more as a national memorial than any of the memorials the government has so far endorsed. I again call on the government to recognise that the Australian ex-prisoner of war memorial in Ballarat is one of national significance.