The Australian Government will be organising memorial services in Bali on 12 October and in Canberra on 16 October to mark the first anniversary of the Bali tragedy. The two services will provide a dignified tribute to the memory of those who died last October, and will enable their loved ones, survivors and the community to join together to remember the tragic events of last year.
The service in Bali will be held in the early morning of 12 October at an outdoor venue with a strong Balinese ambience. It will be a Christian service with Hindu and Islamic elements. The service will be conducted by the Australian Defence Force Chaplains who provided pastoral care to victims immediately after the tragedy. In developing this and the Canberra service, we have sought to take into account the wishes of families, including for forward looking ceremonies. I am delighted that John Williamson, the well-known singer, has agreed to lead the singing of Waltzing Matilda at the end of the Bali service.
Several hundred victims'; family members and the seriously injured have taken up the Government';s assistance offer to travel to Bali for the service. Balinese families and survivors, the families of other nationalities who lost loved ones, and volunteers - who so valiantly helped those in distress, will be invited to attend. I will be joined at the Bali service by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Crean, and also by a senior representative of the Indonesian Government.
While in Bali, I will dedicate elements of the Bali memorial assistance package to the Bali health system that I announced in February this year, including the new intensive care and burns unit at the Sanglah Hospital and a foundation stone at the site of the new memorial eye centre. I will also present scholarships to the initial Balinese recipients of the Bali memorial health scholarship programme. In addition, I will recognise the critical role of several Indonesian National Police officers responsible for the successful investigation into the Bali terrorist attack.
The memorial service in Canberra will be held in the Great Hall at Parliament House on the morning of 16 October. It will broadly follow the format of the Bali memorial service held last year in the Great Hall. The service will be attended by the Governor General, myself, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Volunteers and the public are also most welcome.
The Canberra memorial service will be preceded by the unveiling of a memorial in the grounds of Parliament House to those Australians killed in the tragedy. Following the memorial service, the Governor-General will host a reception for families and survivors at Government House.