Press Conference - Australian War Memorial, Canberra

MINISTER FOR VETERANS' AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL, MATT KEOGH: Today is a wonderful day because it is, as Matt mentioned, sort of about coming together as the full expression of what the Australian War Memorial really is. When people go into the memorial itself, they're often coming to see maybe just one name on the wall. And the work of the memorial, the commemorative space, is to enable that remembering, that reflection, to give that expression of Lest We Forget. But for the people who come to visit the memorial and see that one name, it's about more than just the name. It's about who that person or those people represent for them as a great-uncle, great-great-grandfather, possibly a dad. And the story of those people is not just reflected in the name, it's reflected in the unit they were part of. It's reflected in the conflicts that they were involved in or the peacekeeping operations. 

And for all of us, we get to better understand that story by seeing what's in the museum element, the collection element of the Memorial here. But particularly for those family members, they don't always understand the story behind that individual. Being able to learn that, being able to get that understanding is also a critical role of the Australian War Memorial and it's what this centre is going to be able to more fully realise for the Australian public. There used to be a door down in the basement around the back of the memorial to access some of these records. People didn't even know it existed. Now we have a purpose built facility next to the memorial itself, next to Poppy’s, where people will see it, they'll understand that it's there, they'll wander out of the memorial, out of the museum experience and be able to come into here and look up records to gain that more personal understanding of what their relative, or maybe the friend of a relative had in their background, their service record. Where were the places they went, what were they involved in, where did they come from? 

I know in my own experience, looking up on the National Archives site, being able to fill in some blanks for my father-in-law about one of their relatives based on the addresses that certain correspondence after the war had been sent. Being able to fill in those blanks for any family is a great adventure and story and gives people a more fulsome understanding of who they are and what their family connection to conflict, to peacekeeping, to war has been and continues to be. 

And as Matt said, this is about the full expression of the vision that Charles Bean had for how we remember our serving men and women from those first days 110 years ago in Anzac Cove all the way through. And, indeed, the work of the memorial ensures that we remember those involved in conflict even before that first Anzac Day. And I thought it was useful, as we – opening this building, to reflect on some of the words in Bean's first report of the battle at Gallipoli:

“When all is said, however, the feat which will go down to history is that first Sunday's fighting, when three Australian brigades stormed in the face of fire, tier after tier of cliffs and mountains, apparently as impregnable as Govetts Leap, nothing could take away from the Australian and New Zealand infantry the fame of last Sunday's fighting.” 

That encapsulates what we all now think of as the Anzac tradition, the Anzac legend which lives as part of every Australian to this day, 110 years after those events. 

He also explained the following day something that happened:

“On Monday afternoon, an endeavour was made to take some battalions of this brigade out of the trenches to rest and collect some portions as were scattered through the firing line. Part of the 9th and 10th were wading down the valley at the rear when the Turks began to take this ridge. There was nothing for it but to send the tired 9th and 10th to take the ridge again. I saw that advance from a few hundred yards away. About three rushes covered it. They were facing shrapnel and machine guns but reached the required position. Three times they were driven off the ridge and three times they came back and took it. The last time they remained there.”

As the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, I have had the very unique opportunity of being able to deliver a commemorative address at the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Anzac Cove. I've been able to walk through those gullies, to walk across those ridges, to walk in the remains of some of those trenches, as many thousands of Australians have done before me on a pilgrimage to Anzac Cove. But for many thousands and millions of Australians, they'll never have that opportunity to tread in those footsteps. But what they will have is the opportunity, through this centre, to be able to find a more fulsome expression of their relatives and their experience. Whether it was in the trenches at Gallipoli, whether it was on the Western Front, whether it was in Vietnam or Korea, or whether it was in our more recent involvement in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, or even through all of our peacekeeping operations that we've been continuously involved in since the 1940s. This centre will provide that opportunity for names on a wall, to become real for individuals. 

I very much look forward to everybody being able to understand that, to access that in a much more convenient way through what's been developed here as part of the full expression of the development that's happening here at the War Memorial, so that we can fully realise Charles Bean's vision. And for that I'd like to thank all of the people that have been involved in the project so far, getting us to this point. It's been an absolutely mammoth effort, and I very much look forward to seeing how it's come together in the building. I want to thank everyone that's been involved and I'll now hand over to Anne Carol to say a few words. Thank you.

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JOURNALIST: Maybe, could you just start quickly by telling us what that meant to you to see your great uncle's records?

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL, MATT KEOGH: Being able to be shown the records of my great-uncle here at the new Charles Bean Research Centre was particularly moving for me. I knew that he had fought and died at El Alamein. But to go through the Unit diary to understand what they were involved in, in terms of battles, the defensive position that they were in, how he'd been involved in stopping Rommel's advance, the units that they were attacking and how they were defending, and the machine gun fire that was peppering them at night. We think, based on the record, the most likely thing that happened to him was being hit by a machine gun and he had a head wound that eventually took his life once he got back to a medical post. That's all a great example of the colour and movement, the reality of war that is not immediately apparent just on the service record. And so being able to access that and see that is really important to me, and I'll certainly take that back to my family, to my dad, to be able to give that greater explanation of what happened to my great-uncle. And it's just a great example of how the people who come and visit the memorial, that you can see straight through the window here and see the name of a relative on the wall, come into a centre like this right next door and get that deeper understanding of what their relative was involved in, in terms of the conflict, the battles, the defensive positions, what was happening around them and the role that they played. Whether it was in the Second World War, the First World War, later conflicts, that really builds out the story of a family's history and understanding and connection to the overall ANZAC legend that we have here in Australia.

JOURNALIST: Can I ask, thinking about possible future conflicts, is the Government going to wait until the next strategic update, probably early next year, to make any decisions around funding?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, certainly, what we have following the Defence Strategic Review, we laid out, following that, the National Defence Strategy and that would be updated every two years so that there was a regular reassessment of the strategic situation. And what that meant for defence capability and, of course, acquisition, sustainment and how that flows into the Budget and making sure that those things are done on a regular basis, given the nature of the strategic circumstances that we now face, which are the most complex since the Second World War, we acknowledge that. Now there are processes that go on a very regular basis through the engagement of Defence, with the Defence Ministry, with the NSC, to make sure that we are always delivering the capability that we need and that's always an ongoing process. But we've also set forward that two-yearly formal process of reporting to Parliament with a public National Defence Strategy to make sure that, unlike previously where things were done on a more ad hoc timed basis, there is a regular drumbeat of those activities.

JOURNALIST: The Defence Force Chief yesterday at the ASPI conference said that the military would probably not be able to provide the same support to the community in natural disasters. The Defence Strategic Review said that using them in natural disasters undermined their ability to defend the nation. Why is the Government continuing to deploy the ADF?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, the Defence Strategic Review did make clear that we need to see an uplift in state governments being able to provide those supports to communities that have experienced natural disasters, like the flooding we've just seen and experienced, and, of course, there's long processes of clean up that follow after that as well. And the Government agreed with what was in the National Strategic Review, and that's what's been expressed by the Chief of the Defence Force, that that's not the primary responsibility of the Defence Force. When communities are in need, we will make sure they get the resourcing and the assistance that they require. But we are working with the state governments as well to make sure that there are other mechanisms to provide that acute support. And, of course, organisations like the SES and others provide that immediate support when these natural disasters hit. And we'll continue to work with state governments around making sure that communities get the support they need when they need it.

JOURNALIST: Where is the Government at in terms of the sexual assault inquiry recommended by the Royal Commission?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, after the Royal Commission reported at the end of last year, we provided the Government's formal response to all 122 recommendations in December. A key part of that was establishing a new taskforce in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to work through the implementation of those recommendations. And we've also now, at the beginning of the year, we established the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission, which will provide that very necessary statutory oversight body to look at how we are supporting veterans and Defence members in reducing suicidality and implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission. We're working through with the taskforce how we will be able to best conduct inquiries like that one to make sure that as the Royal Commission has sought that it builds on the work that has already been done in that area, but is also able to turn around responses to Government promptly so that we can act on them and that's what the taskforce is going to be providing Government advice around shortly.

JOURNALIST: Just last question, sorry. Going back to what you said earlier about the Strategic Review next year and taking what Pat Conroy said yesterday as well. So, is it the case that we shouldn't expect any further update or increase to funding before we see the outcome of what that process is?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, we're constantly working with Defence to make sure that they're able to deliver that resourcing that's in the Budget. And you've seen over the forward estimates that we've provided a $10 billion increase, over $10 billion increase, over the forward estimates to Defence. And of course, over 10 years that's an increase of over $57 billion. There are, as projects unfold, funds from year to year as those projects unfold, some of that funding's brought forward, some of it’s moved back, and we engage with Defence very regularly around that to make sure the projects are being delivered properly and that they're properly funded and we're able to progress with all of those capability, acquisitions, sustainment. Making sure that we're supporting our personnel in the field and in training. And that's a regular process that will continue to unfold. The point around the National Defence Strategy and that being updated and reported to Parliament every two years is it makes sure that the entire system, Defence, Government, is doing that process in an orderly way and providing that public transparency around how we are engaging in supporting Defence and building the capability that's required in the strategic circumstances we face as those change as well.

Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling provides 24/7 free confidential crisis support for current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families on 1800 011 046 or the Open Arms website. Safe Zone Support provides anonymous counselling on 1800 142 072. Defence All-Hours Support Line provides support for ADF personnel on 1800 628 036 or the Defence Health Portal. Defence Member and Family Helpline provides support for Defence families on 1800 624 608