Red tape slows commemoration progress

Bureaucratic processes are holding up funding for Albany’s Anzac centenary commemorations and slowing progress on the project, according to Albany Centenary of Anzac Alliance consultant Geoff Hand.

When Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited Albany in August, Mr Hand told her Albany’s plans for the commemorations would resemble the Indian Commonwealth Games unless “we get going” by October.

Mr Hand has now softened his stance, but admitted funding approval processes were slowing the alliance down.

“The Federal Government has been approached to fund the whole of the Mt Adelaide side and they are currently considering that favourably,” he said.

“I think the Minister (Warren Snowdon) is very enthusiastic about Albany and he also happens to have a very good relationship with the Prime Minister so we have got a team that is very much onside.

“But unfortunately, like with all of these things, the political goodwill is there but it still has to go through all of the staff processes to tick all the boxes and that is the bit we are working our way through.”

In March, a report by the National Commission on the Commemoration of the Anzac Centenary endorsed two of the alliance’s key centenary projects and paid homage to Albany’s 8military history.

In the months since the report, Albany has hosted the Prime Minister, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of Anzac and the State Premier.

Despite the high-profile visits, the only funding commitment made so far is a promise of $250,000 from the Federal Government for a scoping study into the planned Anzac Interpretative Centre on Mt Adelaide.

Shadow minister for defence David Johnston said he was concerned the Federal Government had not committed any money towards the interpretative centre beyond the $250,000 for the study.

The alliance estimates $25 million will be needed to fund the whole centenary commemorations planned in Albany.

This includes $12.5million and $7.03 million from the Federal and State Governments respectively for infrastructure, $476,000 in Lotterywest funding, $2.2 million in corporate sponsorship and $1.5 million from Tourism WA.

The alliance expects news about State Government funding through a Royalties for Regions application in November.

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