Difficult knowing what to make of Memorial Council appointments - but here's hoping

Who's in and who's out?

The Minister's media release gives the bare facts.

In: arts administrator Lesley Alway, retired Major General and now head of the Office of War Graves, Wade Stothart, and, as we guessed, new National President of the RSL, Peter Tinley.

Kim Beazley, Chair, and Sharon Bown, member, retain their spots. Whether Beazley remains Chair for a full three-year term may depend on the other members - the Council elects its Chair and we don't know whether a new election is required when a Chair's term as member is renewed - and/or his own willingness to continue. (He was ill during the year.)

The official listing of members at present only shows Beazley's current term, ending 30 November 2025; presumably this will be updated on 1 December to show a new term commencing on that date.

Bown has been on the Council since 2016 and justifying her reappointment for a fourth term - in the words of the Minister's release - on the grounds of 'continuity and retention of corporate knowledge' is stretching it a bit.

Out: Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former RSL National President, Greg Melick, and Daniel Keighran, VC

What do the changes mean?

First, it's a relief to be rid of the 'dinosaurs', Abbott and Melick. This may mean that Memorial staff are less likely to have Council members galumphing around the place when the staff are trying to do their jobs.

Secondly, the new members should bring to the Council some of the nous that the Audit Office report of 2024 and Four Corners strongly suggested has been lacking in the Council. Alway has long experience in arts administration, public and private, Stothart in command, personnel and planning roles in the Army, Tinney as a Minister. Their contribution to overseeing the management of one of our most important institutions should be welcomed.*

Let's hope also, speaking of Four Corners, for some media savvy, and for some enhanced ability to make firm, brave decisions, like the ones not made to date on the Ben Roberts-Smith case and not made to date on the Australian (Frontier) Wars. For evidence on these points search this and the Honest History websites under terms like 'Council', 'Frontier Wars', 'Roberts-Smith' and 'faffing about'.

The Council has had a problem with making decisions and getting Council members to abide by them. We understand that the Council has traditionally made decisions by consensus. We note, however, that the Australian War Memorial Act 1980, sub-section 17(6) says, 'Subject to sub-section (7), all questions arising at a meeting of the Council shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting, including the member presiding' (emphasis added). (Sub-section 7 is about equal votes.)

It would be nice to be reassured that the Council's decision-making process is in accordance with its legislation. It would be reassuring also to think that best practice corporate governance prevailed in the Council.

Thirdly, good and bad points. A good point is that the new Council will have five female members out of 13. This may be a record; we'll check.

Bad points, however: there is still on the Council no-one with a specialisation in military or even political history; the average age of the Council is still somewhere near 60 years of age. A younger Council looks more like the Australia it serves.

What about the Australian Wars?

Defending Country's reason for existence is to have the Memorial properly recognise and commemorate the Australian Wars. Kim Beazley as Chair made an effort for a while but has been quiet recently. The Memorial's recently released Annual Report and Year in Review 2024-25, as well as its current Strategic Plan and Corporate Plan, contain very little evidence that the Memorial is confidently - firmly and bravely - moving in a new direction on the Australian Wars.

That's a cause for the new Council members to take up: deciding that who gets commemorated at the Memorial should be purely according to whether they defended Country, whether they did so in an Australian uniform or as First Nations warriors and their families. Perhaps that's what the Minister's release meant: 'The new appointments will bring a fresh, broader perspective to the Council'.

We noted this from a quick search of Ms Alway's background, particularly her work as Chair of the Geelong Arts Centre Trust: 'It has been especially rewarding to work with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to incorporate key stories and artworks that bring Country into the new Centre in a meaningful way'.

We'll do further posts soon on the Memorial's latest Annual Report and Year in Review and on a recent exchange of correspondence between Defending Country and the Memorial.

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* Also from the Memorial's Act:

sub-section 9(2): 'The Council is responsible for the conduct and control of the affairs of the Memorial and the policy of the Memorial with respect to any matters shall be determined by the Council'.

sub-section 20(2): 'The Director is the chief executive officer of the Memorial and shall, subject to and in accordance with the general directions of the Council, manage the affairs of the Memorial'.

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Picture credit: looking across the War Memorial parade ground from outside the ceremonial entrance, December 2024 (supplied)