Federal Government commits $500 million to Australian War Memorial expansion

With the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War approaching on 11th November, the Australian Government has committed $500 million to expand the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

At a time when Canberra cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Australia and National Library of Australia are facing budget cutbacks, the Federal Government has committed to a nine year project to that will see Anzac Hall at the rear of the building knocked down and reconstructed with more than double the exhibition space.

An underground atrium beneath the front of the building and a new precinct at the back of the memorial will also be constructed.

Announcing the funding, Australian War Memorial AWM Director Brendan Nelson said it was important to bring it up to date, referencing the need to commemorate what he called the "Invictus generation" of Australian service people who had worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and East Timor.

Dr Nelson emphasised that the building's iconic facade, which is in perfect alignment with Parliament House, will remain unchanged.

Facing questions about the $498 million price tag at a time when many of Australia's national institutions are struggling with the burden of efficiency dividends and cuts, Dr Nelson said he was "unapologetic" about advocating for the AWM.

He stated “there is one national institution in this country that reveals more than anything else our character as a people, our soul.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said ensuring the AWM remained relevant was of the utmost importance, advising “what has made the memorial so compelling and so meaningful over the years will remain"But it will also … adjust to new times so it can continue delivering as a place of commemoration and understanding as the soul of the nation."

However, former AWM Director Brendon Kelson said the memorial was in danger of losing touch with its original purpose.

Kelson told the ABC “it's turning the institution, in a sense, away from the whole question of human sacrifice during the wars and conflicts of the 20th century and turning it into an institution where the emphasis is increasingly on technology, military hardware and arms.”

Kelson ran the AWM in the early 1990s and oversaw the internment of the Unknown Australian Soldier in 1993.

He said adding wings to allow people to view live feeds of current conflicts worried him greatly because it signified a move away from reverential remembrance and risked wading into modern-day political debates.

He added “a museum operates after the fray is over, when the dust has settled and the record is reasonably straight and you can assess it.

"You should let time pass. It's a museum that looks at the record and then uses it to tell the story. It can't do it immediately - that's public relations."

The upgraded Australian War Memorial will also feature an interactive database of war memorials and cenotaphs across Australia.

Image of the AWM's planned expansion courtesy of the AWM.