Fiona Scott (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the Australian War Memorial Amendment Bill 2014. It has long been recognised that the Australian War Memorial is the nation's home of commemoration, reflection and remembrance. Charles Bean wrote in his immortal words in 1948:

Here is their spirit, in the heart of the land they loved; and here we guard the record which they themselves made.

Charles Bean could not have said it any better. The War Memorial stands today as a legacy to those who served, their friends and the families of all the service men and women—those that fell and those that came home—but, most importantly as well, to all Australians for all time. It is right for us as a nation to recognise their loss and this enduring legacy. It is for this reason that the War Memorial must be a place where all Australians are able to access free of charge, to be able to pay their respects and to honour the fallen. But it is also important to remember the legacy and to teach the foundations of our country to our children and our children's children, and for all Australians to acknowledge the war commitments of our predecessors have gone before us.

As we enter into a period of remembrance and reflection like never before—as we enter the year of the hundredth anniversary of the Great War, the Centenary of Anzac and the 70th anniversary of World War II, taking place in 2015 and in 2018 and significant dates in between—I would like to take this opportunity to place on the record my sincerest gratitude to all our Australian Defence Force personnel, men and women, both past and present, and those that are playing an important role in shaping our nation's rich history.

In 1915, recruiting committees were formed in nearly every town throughout Australia. In the central west of New South Wales a movement began which became known as the Gilgandra snowball. Under the leadership of WT 'Captain Bill' Hitchen, 20 or so men marched off to Sydney. Gathering other recruits along the way, they numbered about 300 by the time they reached Sydney. This was known as the Coo-ee March. The Coo-ee March marched right through my electorate of Lindsay. Their example was soon followed by other marches from right around New South Wales and Queensland: the Waratahs, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Dungarees, Men from Snowy River, Kurrajongs, Kookaburras, Central West Boomerangs and North Coast Boomerangs. They all relied on the support of the communities they passed through, which was often very enthusiastic. The total number of men involved was only 1,500, but the marches attracted wide publicity and may have encouraged fundraising and enlistment more generally. The commemoration of the Centenary of Anzac is a re-enactment of the Coo-ee March and is expected to arrive in the seat of Lindsay on or around 8 November 2015. These ex-servicemen will have spent 25 days walking from Gilgandra to Penrith and eventually on to Sydney in time for Remembrance Day.

If we are to pass on to future generations the story of the Anzacs who served at Gallipoli and the campaigns over the century of service, we must ensure that these stories are available at no cost. This is particularly important for the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of school students that come past the memorial as part of their school trips to Canberra each and every year.

I have spoken to the two RSL clubs that are within the seat of Lindsay. They have both provided statements, which I would like to read to the House. From the City of Penrith RSL Sub-Branch, the president, Mick McConnell, wrote:

The AWM—

the Australian War Memorial—

is to remind the community that it was built on the blood of our nation and you cannot put a price on that.

It is a monument to our Australian (military) history and it displays a myriad of records and all types of memorabilia for community members to view and reflect on our history from the beginning of our nation.

Australians who went to war helped to provide us with a free world.

The collection of records, mementos, collectables and relics that are placed on display is paramount to all members of the community so they can pass on—

their legacy—

to … other family members—

and—

the memories they gained from their experience.

People travelling from all regions of Australia who have already paid for travel and accommodation do not deserve to pay for parking or entry into the AWM, particularly those who wish to have access to the Research Centre where they can research their family's military history.

It is a place where it provides first hand education for Australian school students and a place—

to—

enhance the development of teachers.

The AWM holds an abundance of unreplaceable artefacts, which is unique to this country, and they belong to all Australians, the tax payers of this nation.

Every family has a history of some member of their family having served our country or have lost their lives defending it.

The AWM is … like a Mecca to our Australian people where it becomes a central location to pay homage to our fallen.

When commemoratives services and parades are conducted on the grounds, politicians and guests do not pay for parking, so why should members of the community, the tax payer, attending these events have to pay?

The new parking arrangements that were introduced on 1st July 2014 seem appropriate but 4 hours limit can be a restriction to those enthusiastic visitors.

The Government of the day has always provided funding, but maybe the Members of Council could look at—

other ways of funding the Australian War Memorial. His recommendations include:

… to encourage more organisations to become Friends of the Memorial,

… perhaps increase the membership fee to Friends of the Memorial,

… maybe enhance the content of the AWM shop,

… entice more organisations to place advertisements into the magazine (quarterly issues I think),

… actively seek more funds and regular donations by way of additional sponsorship from larger business corporations, mining corporations, RSL Clubs and the like …

Finally, he recommends:

… maybe have a government policy introduced that all clubs and registered organisations donate a small % of poker machine profits.

I would like to thank Mick McConnell from the Penrith RSL for his contributions.

I also had feedback from Tony Fryer, the honorary secretary of the St Marys RSL Sub-Branch. He says: 'I believe that the members of the St Marys ESOs, St Marys Outpost of the Vietnam Veterans Association and St Marys RSL Sub-Branch fully support the maintenance of free access to parking at the Australian War Memorial and free entry to the Australian War Memorial so that ESO members and the general public alike can continue to be exposed to the reality of Australia's past conflicts and Australia's rich military history and culture and to truly understand the price paid by our forebears in maintaining the freedoms that all Australians enjoy today.' I would like to thank Tony also for his contribution.

As you can see from the service men and women in the RSL clubs that I represent in Lindsay, it goes without saying: to keep the War Memorial free to all Australians is absolutely paramount. I would like to thank my RSL clubs for their support. I would like to also thank my RSL clubs for the work that they are doing to have a wonderful Dawn Service for Anzac Day. Both Penrith and St Marys do phenomenal jobs. In that vein, I would like to commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context