Henry Pike MP, Member for Bowman, is demanding the Federal Government immediately increase funding to properly honour the graves of Australia’s war veterans. His call comes after recent research revealed that numerous veterans’ graves remain unmarked and uncommemorated, including 19 World War I graves identified by the Australian Remembrance Army at Cleveland Cemetery.
“The brave men and women who served our nation, both at home and abroad, deserve to be honoured not just in life but in death,” said Mr. Pike. “However, too many of our veterans, who paid the ultimate price or came home to face their own battles, are not being commemorated in the way they deserve.”
The Australian Remembrance Army, a volunteer group committed to restoring and marking the graves of Australian veterans, has confirmed that 19 unmarked graves in Cleveland Cemetery belong to veterans of the World Wars. The total number of veterans’ graves in the cemetery now stands at 421.
Under the previous Coalition Government, volunteer organisations like the Australian Remembrance Army were supported with $3.7 million in funding, enabling the placement of 1,189 markers on the graves of World War I veterans.
However, since the Labor Government’s first budget, funding has been drastically reduced. Labor promised to match the Coalition’s $3.7 million, but the funding was cut by more than half to just $1.5 million over four years. Recent revelations in Senate Estimates have shown that funding for this program has now been slashed further to just $437,000 over four years.
“The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023/24, only $18,000 was allocated to the program, and this covered just 42 graves,” Mr. Pike said. “At this rate, it will take 283 years to complete this essential task of commemorating our World War 1 veterans' graves, and that’s before we even begin to address the hundreds of thousands of World War II veterans who also deserve proper recognition.”
Pike has called on the Federal Government to significantly increase funding to ensure that every war veteran’s grave is marked and commemorated as a matter of priority.
“Every Australian who fought to defend our nation, regardless of where or when they served, deserves to be honoured for their sacrifice,” Mr. Pike said.
“We cannot let this issue be ignored as we head into a federal election. Our veterans deserve better.”