Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

To go to the question on the status of a national memorial: the point we are making—and I think it is relatively clear in that paragraph—is that this is about national memorials outside the national capital. That is really what we are talking about here. It sets up the circumstance which allows that to occur. The shadow minister mentions the legal advice. I will clarify our position with respect to that. Our view is that that legal advice was capable of being acted upon. However, upon being appointed in government I had further discussions with the department. They raised some significant questions about what might occur in those circumstances. Therefore, it was a matter of what was the best way in which the government could meet its commitment and ensure that what was intended was actually put in place. In those circumstances there were several options that could have been pursued. This was, in our view, the best option and the cleanest and clearest option to ensure that we had a justifiable and defendable process in the future. The debate has centred around the Ballarat memorial because of the status of that memorial and the work that has gone on—

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