The background to this report can be found here.
It took a while, was a month or so later than anticipated, and was couched in equivocal language, but it seemed without doubt that the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) had rather dropped the Memorial in it for its management of the Big Build. People who had been observing the project for years from outside (like Honest History/Heritage Guardians had been) were rather unsurprised by the report. It was just a shame that there had been so few other observers over that time – and some folks who should have been watching closely, like the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Estimates Committee, had signally failed to do so.
The report; ABC; Age/SMH; Canberra Times; Guardian Australia; Mandarin; PS News; SMH.
The ANAO is always very cautious in its reports but if it gave marks out of 10, this comes in as a bare pass, perhaps a 6 out of 10.
The Memorial’s quick reaction tried to make the best of things.
Minister Keogh has asked for an urgent briefing from the ANAO, followed by discussions with Memorial management. Watch this space.
Update: 5 July 2024: we've heard nothing further, though we checked with Minister Keogh's office on 20 June in the terms below:
It is over two months since the report that Minister was seeking an urgent briefing from the Audit Office and that discussions would follow with the Memorial 'as a priority'. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/auditor-general-criticises-australian-war-memorial-upgrade/103698970
Has the briefing from the ANAO occurred?
Has the Minister discussed the matter with the Memorial?
Will the Minister be making a public statement on these matters?
When?
17 August 2024: Still nothing heard. We are checking with the ANAO also.
19 August 2024: ANAO response received: 'As per the information available on the parliamentary briefings page on our website, a briefing with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs on Auditor-General Report No.21 2023–24 Management of the Australian War Memorial’s Development Project took place on 15 April 2024'. The parliamentary briefings page just records that the ANAO briefed Minister Keogh and his staff but gives no further details.
It's a mystery to us why this information could not have come to us from the Minister's office in response to our query of 20 June above. Answers to our three remaining questions are awaited: 'Has the Minister discussed the matter with the Memorial?' 'Will the Minister be making a public statement on these matters?' 'When?'
27 August 2024: We asked the Minister's office again and await a reply. We also asked the Memorial and they referred us to the Minister's office. We've gone back to the Minister. Our patience is (almost) infinite.
18 September 2024: The Minister's office has advised that the meeting between the Memorial and the Minister was held some time ago.
Photo credit: Australian War Memorial, February 2024 (supplied)
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