Australian Army Memorial – changes afoot?

Australia marked the 25th anniversary of our military involvement in Afghanistan on 11 October 2026, commemorating the start of Operation Slipper on 11 October 2001.  

A national commemorative service was held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, attended by around 1400 veterans, families, and officials.  

Between 2001 and 2021, more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel served in Afghanistan and the Middle East Area of Operations.   

But wait … why isn’t there any memorial to their service?  

The Australian Army National Memorial on ANZAC Parade, Canberra, honours only those involved in 20th Century conflicts (i.e. up until Vietnam).  The seven large pillars which form part of that Memorial stand for the seven major conflicts of the 20th Century: Boer War; World War I; World War II; Korea; Malayan Emergency; Borneo Confrontation; and Vietnam.  This is explained on a brass plaque.

It seems that few people, particularly veterans themselves, are aware that the government’s intention is to demolish the existing ‘seven pillars’ memorial (relocating the statues) and to build another, to honour soldiers who have served in all conflicts, including future ones.

This idea may or may not pass muster.  The worrying aspect here is that there has been no public consultation. How could this happen?  

One would have expected that any planning for such an important decision would involve the widest possible stakeholder engagement.  

Does everyone agree that there will be no specific memorial for our most recent (and longest) conflicts?  

It could be argued that the families of soldiers lost on active service post-Vietnam, and their fellow veterans, deserve better. 

Fiscal constraints notwithstanding, should a higher priority be given to a memorial to commemorate them?  At the very least, should there not be wide-spread public consultation?

What on earth were those responsible thinking, when the present Army Memorial was dedicated in 1989?  It’s unbelievable that anyone could imagine that there would be no more wars.  

It now seems that the intention was for a new memorial to be unveiled on Army’s 125th Anniversary (1 January 2025).  Lack of available funding and the low priority allocated to the project, however, meant that this idea had to be scrapped.

Is it really the case that there is insufficient support to warrant a memorial to those who served in Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan … or is this just government ‘spin’? 

One has to wonder what the RSL’s position might be?  Does it support the demolition of the existing memorial?  Has the design for its replacement been ‘locked in’?  Why has there been no public consultation?

Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Cameron, MC, RAAC (Ret’d)

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The Australian Army Memorial on Anzac Parade in Canberra. Photo by Sergeant Cameron Pegg.

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