The Institute’s long-running campaign to stop the destruction of Anzac Hall is continuing in the wake of the federal Environment Minister using the final hour of parliament on the last sitting day of this year to announce her decision to approve its demolition.
This deeply disappointing outcome from the EPBC Act assessment process serves to further highlight the Institute’s long-held concerns regarding a failure of due process with regard to this project.
You can read our full response here and below is a summary of the national media coverage attained.
This fight is not yet finished as the proposal still has numerous approval gateways to pass through including the Public Works Committee and National Capital Authority.
We also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the campaign to date, including those who mobilised in response to our concentrated social media activity in the days leading up to the EPBC decision.
It was tremendous to see such grassroots support for the campaign from members of the profession through to community groups and everyday Australians, so many of whom expressed shock and concern when learning of the proposed demolition.
The Institute’s 50k+ reach from its primary social media accounts was multiplied many times over by this support and amplified even further with the wonderful contribution towards sharing the campaign by the Grand Designs teams (notably Peter Maddison and Kevin McCloud MBE) whose combined following number in the hundreds of thousands globally.
With more than 12,500 members, including those working on the Australian War Memorial Development Project, the Institute is undeniably a broad church. We fully respect that different members will have different views on this, and many other matters. But we do have a clear duty to act in the interests of the profession as a whole and to uphold commonly accepted principles, including the protection of heritage sites, that form part of our responsibility to the community.
Consistent with our mission and with the full backing of National Council, the Institute will continue to hold decision makers to account and highlight the value of great architecture.
The capacity to make our voices heard on issues of critical importance – be it on this or the many other advocacy issues we prosecute for members from procurement to climate action and everything in between – is vital and one we will continue to build.
Media coverage
- WIN TV News
- ABC TV News
- ABC Radio
- ABC Online
- 2CC Radio
- Canberra Times
- AFR
- The Riot Act
- The Urban Developer
- Architecture and Design
- Architecture AU
- The New Daily
- The Mandarin
- Mirage News
