I am pleased to announce today that the Government will provide initial funding of $2.8 million in the Budget to commence the establishment of an Australian interpretive centre at Villers-Bretonneux, near the site of the Australian National Memorial on the Somme.
The interpretive centre will provide a focal point for Australian visitors and those from other nations seeking knowledge of the Australia's epic contribution on the Western Front battlefields during the Great War. It will tell the proud story of the soldiers of the 1st Australian Imperial Force through interactive displays.
The funding of $2.8 million will allow planning, consultations with French authorities and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the development of detailed designs to proceed.
Further funding will be made available in future years subject to satisfactory negotiations.
This Centre will complement existing Australian memorials on the Western Front and build on several initiatives in last year's Budget: the installation of interpretive panels at Western Front battle sites which explain Australia's involvement in these battles; incorporation of an interpretive display focusing on Australia's involvement in the Third Battle of Ypres at the Tyne Cot War Cemetery at Zonnebeke; and the reconstruction of the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel.