A national memorial for victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse will be built in Canberra after the Albanese Government selected a new design. Source: Canberra Times.
The $7.9 million lakeside memorial will be located at Acton Peninsula, between the National Museum and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, with construction to begin next year and expected to be completed in 2027 – a decade after it was first promised.
The design, by Supersense Studio, is intended to signify protection, strength and enduring connections, and offer a space for healing and reflection.
It was selected through a two-stage procurement process managed by the National Capital Authority, which will manage the construction project, in partnership with a survivor advisory group.
In 2020, the former Coalition government chose a design by Sydney-based architects Peter Besley and Jessica Spresser but this was shelved over concerns about whether its glass archway design would be structurally sound.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the new design’s selection “brings us one step closer to creating a place of remembrance, reflection, truth, healing, and hope”.
“We know victims and survivors have been waiting a long time for the construction of this memorial,” Ms Plibersek said.
“We recognise the pain, suffering, and trauma experienced by victims and survivors, and the long-term impacts this has on lives and families.
“We continue to listen to – and acknowledge – all those who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse.”
In 2017, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended a national memorial to help survivors who felt that remembering was one way to help prevent child sexual abuse and protect children in the future.
The plan was welcomed by victim-survivors, but some expressed disappointment with the delays and the secluded, quiet location chosen for the monument.
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Design of national memorial to honour abuse victims and survivors finally approved (By Dana Daniel, Canberra Times)
