Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00437:body:0:p70
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00437
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 191724–194606

War Memorial'.

    The Australian War Memorial is Australia's National Shrine to those Australians who lost their lives and suffered as a result of war. As such it is important to the Australian community as a whole and has special associations with veterans and their families and descendants of those who fought in wars (Criteria A.4, H.1 and G.1).

    The Memorial building is a purpose built repository where the nature of commemoration is based in equal parts in the relationship between the building, the collections of objects and records and the commemorative spaces. This is unique in Australia and believed rare in the world (Criterion B.2).

    The building is one of Canberra's earliest major examples of Australian Art Deco architecture, with fine examples of applied art in the same style. The building's design also successfully fulfils its special functions and reinforces the role of the place as a Shrine (Criterion D.2).

    The War Memorial is an important landmark in Canberra, Australia's National Capital. As the terminating building at the northern end of the land axis of Griffin's city design and one of only three buildings sited on the axis, the Memorial makes a major contribution to the principal views from both Parliament Houses (Criterion E.1).

    The success of the Memorial as a landmark is due in part to its distinctive massing and symmetry; its relative visual isolation given its privileged siting on the land axis; landscaped grounds and the backdrop of the forested slopes of Mount Ainslie. The role of the Memorial as a National icon is reinforced by its central location in the nation's capital (Criterion F.1).

    The Memorial's success as a shrine, an architectural form and as part of Canberra's urban plan results in part from special associations with the lives and works of a number of individuals whose activities have been significant in Australia's history. These include the Memorial's founders Charles Bean, John Treloar and Henry Gullett; architects Emil Sodersteen and John Crust; and M Napier Waller who created artworks for the building (Criterion H.1).6

    4.4   National and Commonwealth Heritage Values Commentary

    4.4.1  Status of Heritage Values

 As noted in Section 4.1, National and Commonwealth Heritage values have a specific meaning under the EPBC Act and any suggested changes or additional values identified through this revised assessment do not formally alter the listed heritage values under the EPBC Act. Rather, they provide an understanding of the heritage significance of the site to inform ongoing management, while continuing to recognise the status of the listed National and Commonwealth Heritage values.

   The status of the statutory National and Commonwealth Heritage values of the site and the proposed revision, below, is based on the current attributes and condition of the AWM