Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. I remind honourable senators and indeed members of the community that this is Legacy Week. I encourage all senators to buy a badge and support the work of this fantastic organisation.

As you would be aware, the Centenary of Anzac is our nation's most defining period of commemoration, reflection and remembrance. I am very pleased today to announce a further 119 grants worth more than $975,000 across 47 electorates under the Anzac Centenary local grants program. As the honourable senator is aware, in the budget this year we increased funding to the 150 lower house members by $3.75 million, taking it to $18.75 million, and nearly 330 grants have now been approved under the project.

We are determined to ensure that it does not matter where Australians live—metropolitan, regional or rural—that they have the best opportunity to participate in the Centenary of Anzac. I was very pleased to be at Point Nepean, on 5 August, for the first-shot commemoration. Some $10,000 was put into funding the electorate of Flinders under the program.

Many communities across Australia did have a number of commemorative events to mark the beginning of the First World War as well as the first recruitment drives conducted to support the Australian naval and military expedition which set out for the then German New Guinea in August 1914.

The communities across Australia have come forward with some fantastic programs, and it is my great honour to be carefully considering those. There are some 1,700 applications— (Time expired)