Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition associates itself with the kind remarks of the member for Aston upon the death of Ben and sends our best wishes to his family as well.

The Great War was meant to be the war to end all wars. Across the world, somewhere between 15 and 22 million people were killed. Of those, 9½ million were service personnel. Six million Allied service personnel died during the Great War and, tragically for our own great nation of Australia, there were 60,000 fatalities. Many more returned home carrying the battle scars and the mental health impacts for the rest of their lives.

But on 11 November at 11 am in 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Each year, our nation stops on 11 November. We observe a minute's silence out of respect and in solemn commemoration of those who lost their lives. It was originally known as Armistice Day, but became known as Remembrance Day after World War II to respect all who have died in conflicts. Throughout our nation's short history, 102,000 service men and women have died defending the freedoms that we all enjoy here today. On Remembrance Day, we will remember them.

I often tell school children when they visit Parliament House that our most important building in Canberra is actually the Australian War Memorial. I'm very proud to have been part of a government which delivered $500 million for the redevelopment of the War Memorial. It is a legacy from the coalition government that will allow us to tell the stories of more modern conflicts and peacekeeping missions at a time when those veterans and their families are still able to appreciate it. What's concerning me, though, right now is that the Albanese government has actually failed to announce new members of the Australian War Memorial governing body and veterans are increasingly nervous about why these delays are in place. Now is not the time for a half-strength governing body at our most important national institution where we respect, recognise and commemorate our service men and women.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:30 to 11:38

With major development work underway and sensitive issues to be resolved, veterans want to know that the War Memorial will be governed by a balanced and respectful council. The Australian War Memorial Council members whose time expired in September included highly regarded veterans like Dan Keighran VC and Sharon Bown, former RSL national president Greg Melick and political leaders Tony Abbott and Kim Beazley.

We need to know that we will have a well-balanced Australian War Memorial Council with the skills, experience and wisdom to make sensible decisions, in a bipartisan way, which are in the national interest. I've written to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to seek an explanation for the delays and to offer my personal input into ensuring appointments to the council are non-controversial. The Australian War Memorial Council is not a place for activists or for rewarding political mates with no particular interest in defence or the veteran community.