Constituency Statement – War memorial petition

Mr PITT: I table three petitions calling for all war memorials in Australia to be heritage listed to ensure the preservation and protection of them, now and into the future. The petitions have been considered by the Petitions Committee and found to be in order.

The petitions read as follows—

War memorials in all forms—Cenotaphs, statues, honour rolls, plaques, armaments, fountains and swimming pools—are found it towns and cities right across Australia. They commemorate all men and women who served our nation in times of war. This includes nurses, national servicemen, peacekeepers and animals. The preservation of these war memorials is of utmost importance for many communities. Currently, not all war memorials are protected by heritage listing, which means they are at risk of removal or demolition.

We therefore ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage List for all war memorials in Australia to be heritage listed. Memorials would be nominated by local councils to their State or Territory Government, with information including the type of memorial, location, action or service the memorial signifies. To ensure memorials are looked after and cared for into the future, we also ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage Trust Fund. This fund would cover any refurbishments, repairs or upgrades to a memorial, after a time in which members of a theatre or war are no longer capable of tending to a memorial.

from 263 citizens (Petition No. EN5326)

War Memorials in all forms—Cenotaphs, statues, honour rolls, plaques, armaments, fountains, and swimming pools, are found in towns and cities right across Australia. They commemorate all men and women who served our nation in times of war. This includes Nurses, National Servicemen, Peacekeepers and Animals. The preservation of these war memorials is of the utmost importance for many communities. Currently, not all war memorials are protected by heritage listing, which means they are at risk of removal or demolition. Request: We therefore ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage List for all war memorials in Australia to be heritage listed. Memorials would be nominated by local councils to their State or Territorial Governments, with information including the type of memorial, and action or service the memorial signifies. To ensure memorials are looked after and cared for into the future, we also ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage Trust Fund. This fund would cover any refurbishments, repairs, or upgrades to a memorial, after a time in which members of a theatre are no longer capable of tending to the memorial.

from 646 citizens (Petition No. PN0598)

War memorials in all forms—Cenotaphs, statues, honour rolls, plaques, armaments, fountains and swimming pools—are found it towns and cities right across Australia. They commemorate all men and women who served our nation in times of war. This includes nurses, national servicemen, peacekeepers and animals. The preservation of these war memorials is of utmost importance for many communities. Currently, not all war memorials are protected by heritage listing, which means they are at risk of removal or demolition. Request: We therefore ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage List for all war memorials in Australia to be heritage listed. Memorials would be nominated by local councils to their State or Territory Government, with information including the type of memorial, location, action or service the memorial signifies. To ensure memorials are looked after and cared for into the future, we also ask the House to establish a Service Memorial Heritage Trust Fund. This fund would cover any refurbishments, repairs or upgrades to a memorial, after a time in which members of a theatre or war are no longer capable of tending to a memorial.

from 627 citizens (Petition No. PN0599)

Petitions received.

Mr PITT: The principal petitioner, Brian Barker, is president of the Hervey Bay Branch of the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia, better known as the Nashos.

War memorials commemorating local service men and women who have served our nation in times of war are found in every town and city and come in all forms: cenotaphs, statues, honour rolls, plaques, armaments and even swimming pools.

War memorials don’t have automatic heritage listing despite the great significance they hold for communities. In Bundaberg, a war memorial, the Anzac pool, was demolished while an active heritage listing was being considered. Brian’s petition, which was signed by 1,536 people, calls for all war memorials in Australia to be heritage listed and a service memorial heritage trust to be established to maintain or upgrade memorials once they can no longer be tended by those involved in a particular war or conflict.

Australia would not be the country it is today without the sacrifice of our service men and women. Protecting the memorials to pay tribute to them is a simple way of ensuring that their legacy lives on, and it is one which we should all be able to support in this place.