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

Can I thank Senator Fawcett for the question and acknowledge his deep and abiding interest in the Centenary of Anzac. The Australian government is very grateful for the contribution of corporate Australia towards the Centenary of Anzac. With the generous support of companies such as the ANZ bank, the Commonwealth Bank, the National Australia Bank, Telstra and Woodside, together with other companies, the government has, through the Anzac Centenary Public Fund, so far committed some very substantial funds to assist the states with the $45 million redevelopment of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, the $40 million redevelopment of Sydney's Hyde Park Anzac memorial, the redevelopment of ANZAC Square in Brisbane and the Memorial Drive project in Adelaide, as well as 100 per cent funding for the projects at the Hobart Cenotaph and the Borella Ride in the Northern Territory. Of course, we built, substantially, the Anzac Interpretive Centre at Albany in Western Australia.

On 27 January this year, I was very pleased to join Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to talk about that company's commitment to the Centenary of Anzac. Two of Qantas's founding fathers, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, both fought at Gallipoli, and so it is entirely fitting that this airline, the second oldest in the world, is an active participant in the national period of commemoration. Last year I announced that the widows of First World War veterans would be invited, as guests of the Australian government and the Australian people, to travel to Gallipoli to attend Anzac Day, and Qantas has very generously offered to fly these very special women to Turkey to attend the commemoration. They will fly in a specially chartered Qantas jet. It will be easily recognisable, because it will be the only part of the fleet to carry the Centenary of Anzac logo at this stage. Qantas, on its international and domestic flights, will also play a series of vignettes about the Centenary of Anzac and sharing stories about our centenary of service. (Time expired)