Updated
Former Liberal leader and diplomat Brendan Nelson says his ambition as the new director of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is to ensure the institution remains relevant to all Australians.
Mr Nelson started his new job today after finishing up as the Australian Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg in November.
He wants every Australian, irrespective of their age or background, to feel a connection with the War Memorial.
"Increasing numbers of young Australians, in particular, are looking for a sense of purpose and meaning in terms of what it means to be an Australian," he said.
"They need look no further than what is within this building, what is represented by this institution that reaches out to Australians across the country."
Mr Nelson says he will consider the best way to honour fallen peacekeepers.
Families have been campaigning for better recognition of fallen peacekeepers and want their names included on the Roll of Honour, rather than on a separate book of remembrance.
Mr Nelson says the concept of peacekeeping did not exist when the War Memorial was founded.
He says the Australian War Memorial Council has decided to stick with the current arrangements for the time being.
"The Council will continue to consult and continue to consider the issue and how best to represent the names of those men and women who have given their lives as peacekeepers for Australia," he said.
"It's an issue that the Council has said will continue to be under examination and it's one of the very early issues to which I will certainly be applying myself."
Topics: history, library-museum-and-gallery, act, canberra-2600
First posted
No comments:
Post a Comment