{"id":597781,"date":"2026-04-10T11:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/597781\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T11:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:36:15","slug":"australian-war-memorial-display-on-ben-roberts-smith-altered-as-refurbished-sections-unveiled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/597781\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian War Memorial display on Ben Roberts-Smith altered as refurbished sections unveiled"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Australian War Memorial has altered a display dedicated to former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith following his arrest over allegations of war crimes.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mr Roberts-Smith, one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers, was on Tuesday charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.<\/p>\n

The changes were made as the memorial unveiled several new sections of the institution as part of a $500 million redevelopment that has been years in the making.<\/p>\n

Director Matt Anderson said the panel on display next to a uniform worn by Mr Roberts-Smith during his service was being amended to “cover the facts” as they currently stood.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

The former SAS corporal was arrested earlier this week, accused of war crimes. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)<\/p>\n

“Right now, the memorial’s commitment through this entire process, and the entire legal process, has been to ensure that the panel in the gallery is up to date and covers the facts,” Mr Anderson said.<\/p>\n

“So the panel has been amended and will be installed, which tells the story of the latest developments in that case; that’s what will happen.<\/p>\n

“The most important thing that all of us can do now is allow justice to take its course; to start with the presumption of innocence.”<\/p>\n

The panel was reinstalled this afternoon and now includes lines about Mr Roberts-Smith’s arrest:<\/p>\n

“In April 2026, Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. The legal process is ongoing.”<\/p>\n

Mr Roberts-Smith’s uniform and medals remain on display.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The newly altered display on Ben Roberts-Smith at the Australian War Memorial mentions his 2026 arrest. (ABC News: Lily Nothling)<\/p>\n

Mr Anderson said the memorial had consistently updated the panel to “keep the visiting public abreast of where that case is at”.<\/p>\n

“Whatever the truth is, whenever the truth is known, we will tell it,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But what I would say is that the reason Ben Robert Smith, VC MG, is in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial is because of his actions in Tizak, in Shah-Wali-Kot in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan on the 11th of June of 2010.<\/p>\n

“That’s why he’s up in the galleries in the Hall of Valour with other recipients of the Victoria Cross.”<\/p>\n

Space for new stories of service<\/p>\n

Mr Anderson was speaking as the memorial unveiled much of its refurbishment, including Anzac Hall, an expanded section dedicated to the World War II bomber G for George and Bomber Command, and displays explaining Australia’s role in peacekeeping efforts.<\/p>\n

The expansion has caused controversy, attracting criticism for being “wasteful” and “arrogant” when the plans were revealed to the public in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Former directors of the memorial also raised concerns over the proposal<\/a>, amid fears it was straying from its original intent as a place of solemn reflection.<\/p>\n

But the War Memorial has argued from the start that the redevelopment would allow for a greater focus on modern veterans.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The refurbished Australian War Memorial has been years in the making and cost $500 million. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

Mr Anderson said many Australians who had served were now being honoured for the first time, as the memorial places a greater emphasis on women and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n

“There are 1,200 individuals whose stories are told in the galleries behind us who have previously never had a chance to share their stories of their service with the Australian people,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And the other thing I would say at this time of the year, is the reason we are doing this now is because Anzac Day is nearly upon us, and now is the time for our veterans to be given the recognition they so richly deserve, and the meaning of their service to be realised by the greater population.”<\/p>\n

‘Extraordinary value for money’<\/p>\n

In redesigning the memorial, those behind the refurbishment chose to highlight the bringing together of old and new elements.<\/p>\n

Project executive director Will Hitches said there was now about 7,000 square metres of gallery space within the building.<\/p>\n

\"Wayne<\/p>\n

Wayne Hitches said the redevelopment was a “meaningful” process. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

“The stone you can see behind me is from the Wondabyne Quarry up at Gosford, which is the same stone as the main building. We went back to the same stone face, got the same stone,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’s cut differently, so you can tell what’s new and what’s old.”<\/p>\n

He described it as the “highlight of my career” to see the multi-year project coming to an end, with just a few spaces yet to be revealed.<\/p>\n

“I probably didn’t realise when I started just how meaningful it would be,” he said.\"Interior<\/p>\n

The refurbishment of the Australian War Memorial is expected to reach completion in 2028. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

He said he believed critics of the cost of the build would be swayed by the final product.<\/p>\n

“Yes, half a billion dollars is a lot of money, but when you look at what we’ve been able to do, the four projects and what we’ve been able to deliver \u2026 it is, I think, extraordinary value for money, and I think we’ll see that proved out as people come to visit.”<\/p>\n

G for George in a new light<\/p>\n

With G for George reinstalled, the section focused on Bomber Command has been filled out to include more about the story of Australians who travelled across the world as part of the war effort.<\/p>\n

The iconic bomber was taken away as construction began, but was returned last year, as people watched from the side of the road to see its journey.<\/a><\/p>\n

The aircraft carried out 89 bombing missions over Germany and occupied Europe between 1942 and 1944.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Famous World War II bomber G for George, built in 1942, is a major collection item at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

There were zero casualties among the 250 aircrew who flew on George throughout the war, leading many to believe the aircraft was “lucky”.<\/p>\n

Historian and curator Lachlan Grant said while the bomber did have that reputation, it still did not get through the war unscathed.<\/p>\n

“We wanted very much to tell the story of all those individual missions and show that on many occasions it did come back having had an engine knocked out,” he said.<\/p>\n

“On one occasion, the windscreen was smashed, and the pilot was temporarily blinded.<\/p>\n

\"Lachlan<\/p>\n

Lachlan Grant said lovers of G for George would learn new things about the bomber. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

“It was a very lucky aircraft and was damaged on many occasions.”<\/p>\n

The new section includes more stories about the many others who were part of the division, with about 70 per cent new to the exhibition.<\/p>\n

\"Flight<\/p>\n

Jean Starling has been honoured in the newly restored exhibition. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

Dr Grant said Canberra librarian Jean Starling, who volunteered for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, now had her own tribute.<\/p>\n

Ms Starling was working in London when the war broke out and trained as a specialist photographic interpreter.<\/p>\n

She became Flying Officer Starling and served at the Central Interpretation Unit, which played a crucial role within the planning stages of most Royal Air Force operations.<\/p>\n

New exhibition highlights Cambodian suffering<\/p>\n

Australia’s role in the Middle East and South-East Asia, including in peacekeeping, is also a renewed focus at the memorial.<\/p>\n

Sokha Sras was employed as an advisor by the memorial to ensure a section about the civil war and genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the 70s was historically accurate and culturally sensitive.<\/p>\n

Ms Sras was a young child at the time, and her family fled to Australia in the 80s.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sokha Sras worked as an advisor for the Australian War Memorial’s section about the Cambodian civil war. (ABC News: Niki Burnside)<\/p>\n

The display features items that were commonly used during that time, when millions of Cambodians were forced into labour camps and killed.<\/p>\n

Ms Sras said she was grateful her people were being given a voice through the exhibition.<\/p>\n

“Thank you for giving us a voice \u2026 how people suffered,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Without the Australian War Memorial doing this display, we would not have a voice to be able to tell people what we went through.<\/p>\n

“To be able to share about the culture, the history \u2026 what people went through, who died.”<\/p>\n

A gallery about Australia’s role in Afghanistan is set to open soon, and the entire redevelopment is expected to be completed in 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Australian War Memorial has altered a display dedicated to former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith following his arrest over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":597782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2666,85102,45387,64,63,32187,83250,291691,22225,2667,460,291690,2732,291692,44,6205,5265,256679,46329],"class_list":{"0":"post-597781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-act","9":"tag-anzac-day","10":"tag-arrest","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-australian-war-memorial","14":"tag-ben-roberts-smith","15":"tag-bomber-command","16":"tag-cambodia","17":"tag-canberra","18":"tag-design","19":"tag-g-is-for-george","20":"tag-jail","21":"tag-jean-starling","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-refurbishment","24":"tag-service","25":"tag-soldiers","26":"tag-war-crimes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}