2026 nominee - Champion of Veteran Employment
The Australian War Memorial has taken a deliberate, institution‑wide approach to championing veterans’ employment, engagement and economic participation through its Development Project. Recognising that its purpose extends beyond commemoration, the Memorial embedded veterans’ outcomes directly into procurement and delivery, ensuring that opportunity creation was treated as a core requirement of the program.
The Memorial’s once‑in‑a‑generation Development Project—Our Continuing Story—extends this purpose into delivery. Expanding galleries, public spaces and research facilities to better represent modern conflicts and contemporary service, the project responds to evolving national expectations and the need to tell the stories of recent veterans alongside earlier generations.
Central to this expansion is a deliberate commitment to veterans’ employment, engagement and opportunity. Rather than treating participation as an adjunct, the project embeds veteran outcomes into procurement and delivery, creating structured pathways for employment, training and business participation.
Veterans have contributed across construction, supply chains and project delivery, while also informing how their experiences are represented. In doing so, the Australian War Memorial not only tells the story of service—it creates ongoing opportunities for those who have served.
This approach has delivered tangible results at scale. More than 100 veterans have been employed across the project, contributing approximately 40,000 hours of work across construction, technical and supervisory roles. These roles have provided pathways for transition into civilian employment, enabling veterans to apply their skills, leadership and experience in a major national program. Importantly, participation has extended beyond entry-level positions, with evidence of progression into more senior and specialised roles over time.
The Memorial has also supported veteran‑owned businesses through targeted procurement, enabling companies to secure significant contracts and grow capability within the construction sector. This has strengthened both individual enterprises and the broader veteran employment ecosystem, demonstrating the value of aligning commercial activity with social outcomes.
These efforts have been reinforced by sustained national media coverage since 2020, spanning mainstream news outlets, industry publications, government communications and digital platforms. This coverage has reached millions of Australians each year, consistently highlighting the positive contribution veterans make to the workforce and the practical benefits of structured employment pathways. The visibility of these outcomes has helped shift perceptions, showcasing veterans as highly skilled, adaptable and valuable employees.
Through clear policy settings, contractual mechanisms and active engagement with industry, the Australian War Memorial has established itself as a genuine champion of veterans’ employment. By embedding opportunity into delivery and demonstrating measurable, scalable outcomes, it has set a benchmark for how major projects can support transition, recognise capability, and create enduring employment opportunities for those who have served.
About the Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is one of Australia’s most significant national institutions, combining a shrine, museum and archive within a single integrated organisation. Located in Canberra, its purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of Australians who have died in war or operational service, and to recognise and honour all who have served the nation.
Serving veterans and their families, Defence personnel, researchers, educators, policymakers and the broader public, the Memorial is both a place of national commemoration and a leading centre for understanding Australia’s wartime experience. Through ceremonies, exhibitions and access to a nationally significant collection, it ensures these stories remain relevant and accessible across generations.