Curtain raised on Anzac Hall but large shadow looms
As the Australian War Memorial raises the curtain on a major new gallery and venue, the presence of alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith will cast a long shadow.
All living Victoria Cross recipients were invited to attend the official opening of the memorial courtyard and Anzac Hall on Tuesday evening, a gallery focusing mainly on Australia’s commitments to the Middle East, Afghanistan and peacekeeping operations.
Judge Susan Horan allowed Roberts-Smith to attend the opening, which required a bail change, in early June.
The decorated soldier is accused of killing or ordering the killing of five unarmed detainees while he was serving in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.
Judge Horan barred Roberts-Smith from discussing the cases against her or accused war criminal Oliver Schulz.
Following the successful bail hearing, Roberts-Smith told reporters outside that it was “absolutely” appropriate for her to attend the unveiling as a Victoria Cross recipient.
He categorically denied the war crimes allegations and vowed to fight them in court.
Attendees are expected to include politicians and veterans who have spoken out against Roberts-Smith; Among them are several who are not allowed to speak under strict bail conditions.
Some of his supporters, including Pauline Hanson, are also expected to attend.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will tell those gathered that they are bound by the power of “let’s not forget”.
In one of his speeches, he said, “Those simplest sentences that live inside us like a heartbeat; we swear to keep the fire of memory so bright that its shine reaches future generations.”
“Today we adjourned parliament so that everyone who wanted could celebrate the opening of the Atrium and Anzac Hall, which have been added to the Australian War Memorial and ensure that that flame burns even brighter.
“What a magnificent and powerful contribution. A bold vision has now become a reality that strengthens the institution of which it is a part.”
The Prime Minister will implore those gathered at the event to “read all the words” about those who have gone before them.
“Look at the faces and get lost in the smiles, the hope and the friendship, the opposite of the inexorable, inhumane arithmetic of war. These are the true costs of war,” he will say.
“Yet, in the midst of this loss and sacrifice, what pulses so strongly is life and an abiding sense of what is worth fighting for.”
The renovation of Anzac Hall and the memorial will add more than 5000m2 of gallery space to the memorial when completed in 2028, for a total of 15,000m2.
More than $550 million in federal funds supported the reconstruction.
The institution has consistently defended the display of a painting by Roberts-Smith of a dead man’s body being exhumed.
Roberts-Smith’s picture shows her standing in a field in Tizak in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province.
The plaque below the image has been adjusted several times to reflect Roberts-Smith’s arrest and previous civil cases.
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