Report to Government

Century of Service

1.38The idea of a Century of Service has been developed to give Australians the opportunity to commemorate their fellow countrymen and women who have fought and served, and continue to fight and serve, in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. The concept stretches from the Boer War, in which Australia was engaged at the time of Federation in 1901, to contemporary conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and peacekeeping operations.

1.39It is an opportunity to remember Australians who have died as a result of war. More than 102,000 Australians are recorded as war dead on the Australian War Memorial’s Roll of Honour. Added to these are the many thousands who died subsequently, as a result of their injuries. Many other Australians died while serving with Allied forces, the merchant navy, philanthropic organisations, as war correspondents, artists or photographers, in war preparations, peacekeeping or as civilian war casualties.

1.40While the emphasis will necessarily and appropriately be on the role of Australian service personnel, it will be an explicit objective of the Board’s recommended proposals to give appropriate recognition to the role of others, such as Australians on the home front. This will be one of several ways in which the Anzac Centenary commemorations will be deliberately broader than in the past, with the aim of bringing home to Australians the multifaceted impact of war. This will also be achieved through greater recognition of specific groups, including Indigenous Australians and Australians from non-English backgrounds. This broader view is also supported by the extended time period from the very outset of hostilities (Rabaul) to return (that is, well past the Armistice and into the experience of repatriation of troops).

1.41The 2014–18 period will contain significant anniversaries of non-First World War battles and engagements. These include: 75th anniversary of the start of the Second World War in September 2014; 65th anniversary of the start of the Korean War in June 2015; 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War/Victory in the Pacific in August 2015; 50th anniversary of the arrival of Australia’s first combat battalion in Vietnam; and 25th anniversary of the departure of HMAS Brisbane and Sydney to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield in October 2015.

1.42It would be artificial to keep the two strands of the Anzac Centenary completely separate. Commemorations and educational initiatives relating to the First World War and a Century of Service partially overlap. For example, some educational projects enhance awareness of service and sacrifice, irrespective of the war.

The developing Anzac Centenary program

1.43The Anzac Centenary program has been developing through a number of stages and steps. The Australian Government has already made a range of decisions and commitments, including on funding, particularly over the past twelve months. These have been based largely on the National Commission’s ideas and the views of the Board. Decisions taken to date have laid a solid foundation for a successful Centenary. These initiatives are summarised below and are in addition to decisions to establish the National Commission and the Board. Importantly, given the limited time available before the commencement of the Centenary in August 2014, the progressive announcement of elements of the program has allowed implementation planning to proceed, while further proposals are being considered.

1.44The Government has responded to the National Commission’s recommendation for the creation of a single symbol or logo for the Anzac Centenary program. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs undertook a developmental process involving creative agencies and extensive stakeholder and public consultation to select a design that had wide resonance with the community. The Board supported the findings of the consultation process and the preferred logo was agreed by the Government. The logo is included at Appendix 2. It is a registered trademark, protected by law, and there are strict guidelines to protect the logo from misuse. It may be used for non-commercial purposes only and any use of the logo for commercial gain or enterprise is strictly prohibited. The logo cannot be used for merchandising purposes, unless approved by the Australian Government. The Board strongly encourages those who wish to use the logo to make contact with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs through the contact details provided at Appendix 2.

1.45Through a number of previous decisions, the Australian Government has already committed approximately $115 million in funding for Anzac Centenary-related initiatives. This includes $5 million to build an Australian War Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand, allocated in the 2007–08 Budget; and $10 million for the Australian Remembrance Trail, committed in the 2009–10 Budget (see paragraphs 2.24–2.29). Other initiatives include:

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  a refurbishment program of the Australian War Memorial’s First World War galleries to introduce new technologies and help generations of Australians learn about the nation’s involvement in the First World War. The refurbishment is expected to be completed in time for Anzac Day in 2015
  
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  a commitment towards the refurbishment of war graves to ensure individual and collective memorials to war dead, in Australia and overseas, are properly maintained
  
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  a community grants program to be provided during 2013–14 to help communities carry out their own Anzac Centenary commemoration projects
  
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  additional funding for the running of commemorative services overseas in 2015
  
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  funding for the Anzac Interpretive Centre, Albany
  
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  funding to assist with a scoping study for a convoy commemorative event in Albany to commemorate the first convoy carrying the Australian Imperial Force and New Zealand Expeditionary Force that departed from Albany on 1 November 1914
  
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  funding to assist with a scoping study for a travelling exhibition that would provide an educational experience to visitors, especially in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia
  
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  funding for an Arts and Culture Fund, commencing in 2014–15, to support individuals, artists and cultural institutions to develop commemorative displays and artistic creations that showcase the nation’s military history
  
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  a communications, online multimedia, community awareness and education program with broad community reach to assist Australians to learn more about the nation’s military history
  
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  provision of Deductible Gift Recipient status to the Anzac Centenary Public Fund. This Fund will be established to receive donations from corporate and other private donors
  
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  provision of Deductible Gift Recipient status to a proposed National Boer War Memorial and a proposed National Peacekeepers’ Memorial, allowing donations to be tax deductible. The Government is also providing $0.2 million towards the proposed National Boer War Memorial
  
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  support for the work of the Anzac Centenary Advisory Board, 2012–13 to 2018–19.