I was pleased today to unveil the winning design for the National Emergency Services Memorial which was submitted by Aspect Melbourne Pty Ltd.
The competition to create a suitable blueprint for a national memorial was strong, and I congratulate Aspect Melbourne on a design that is consistent with a brief to commemorate the contribution and sacrifice of emergency services personnel in a sensitive yet powerful way.
A further three designs shared the runners up award, and were submitted by: The City of Melbourne; Oculus; and Mr Russell Rodrigo, Ms Jennifer Gamble and Mr Ka Wai Li.
My thanks go to all those who worked on these designs for their contribution to ensuring that the nation will have a memorial that appropriately recognises and captures the magnificent contribution of all emergency services personnel to our community.
The Memorial will honour both career emergency service personnel and volunteers. The people who have served their communities down through the generations have made an immense and enduring contribution to this nation, particularly in response to the many natural and human emergencies and disasters that have occurred throughout our history.
In particular, the Memorial will commemorate the sacrifice of all those who have lost their lives in striving to protect their fellow Australians and keep their communities safe.
A site close to Lake Burly Griffin has been chosen as the location for the Memorial. It is to be built on the western edge of Kings Park, adjacent to the Rond Terraces. Construction is scheduled to be completed within the next 12 months.