TODAY the Australian War Memorial received approval from the National Capital Authority to proceed with the early works package for its development project.
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Darren Chester said this was a significant milestone in the development and would allow the Memorial to finalise its early works contracts and move ahead with more than $10 million of work.
"This approval will allow for preparation of the area around the site, relocation of some services and progressing with the demolition of Anzac Hall," Mr Chester said.
"The development has strong community support and the Memorial has followed all the due processes in achieving this early works approval."
The Memorial development project is designed to extend the current experience to better recognise the service of contemporary veterans and to ensure that it has the capacity to do so for future operations.
"The Memorial holds a sacred place in the hearts of Australians and we must ensure that those from contemporary conflicts have their stories told - in peacekeeping and operational conflicts including East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan," Mr Chester said.
"From here there will be further community consultation for the Major Works designs, which will be released in the coming months.
"The Memorial will also ensure there are opportunities for veterans to work on the development project as it progresses."
The funding committed to the Memorial for the development is new funding and does not come at the expense of investing in veterans' benefits and services. More than $11.8 billion is provided each year to support more than 325,000 veterans and their families through the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
