National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission) recommended building a national memorial in Canberra for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in institutional settings.

The Department of Social Services (the Department) is working with the National Capital Authority to design and build the National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (Memorial). It will be located on Acton Peninsula in Canberra.

Purpose

For victims, survivors, their families and friends, the Memorial can provide a place of reflection and recognition of the truth, and offer a symbol of hope.

For the broader community, the Memorial will acknowledge the experiences of victims and survivors. It will recognise the courage of those who have fought for justice. It will honour lives lost and those whose voices were not heard.

The Memorial aims to educate people of the harmful and lasting impacts of institutional child sexual abuse.

The Memorial provides a reminder of the continued responsibility we all share to protect children now and into the future.

Changes to the Memorial Design

The National Capital Authority ran a national design competition in 2021 to select a suitable design for the Memorial.

The brief for designers was developed with the National Memorial Advisory Group (Advisory Group). The brief considered feedback from a public online consultation process. Read the Consultation Summary Report.

The Hon Peter McClellan AM KC (former chair of the Royal Commission) was chair of a jury established to select the design. The jury included victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and design industry professionals.

The selected design, ‘Transparency and Truth’, by architects Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley, subsequently underwent technical assessments that revealed complex construction challenges.

Following extensive consultations with the National Capital Authority, the Advisory Group, and Mr McClellan, the Government decided to terminate the original design and to commence a new design selection process.

The Government remains deeply committed to building a Memorial as soon as possible to recognise the courage and experiences of victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, to provide a place of reflection, contribute to healing, and educate future generations to better protect Australian children.

As a priority, the Department is working with the National Capital Authority, in consultation with the Advisory Group and Mr McClellan, to develop and conduct a new design procurement and selection process.

The new process will commence in the first half of 2024, with construction to commence in 2025. The Memorial is expected to be completed in 2026.

Further information will be released by the National Capital Authority in the coming month on the design process.

For further information around the Memorial and next steps, please see the Frequently Asked Questions.

The Department of Social Services would like to extend its sincere thanks and appreciation to the National Memorial Advisory Group and Mr Peter McClellan for their work on the Memorial and their continued work and commitment in this next stage of the project.

Timeline

Date

 Activity

15 December 2017

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse delivered its Final Report. The Australian Government accepted Recommendation 17.6 to establish a Memorial for victims and survivors in Canberra.
22 October 2018

The National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (National Apology) was delivered on 22 October 2018.

The National Apology Reference Group (Reference Group) consulted with victims, survivors their families and support people about establishing a Memorial. It advised the Government to establish a national memorial for victims and survivors. It also recommended further consultation with survivors on the design and location of the memorial.
October 2020

Funding of $6.7 million over 4 years was provided to establish the Memorial in Canberra. This funding includes the design, construction, launch and ongoing maintenance for the Memorial.

The Government provided additional funding for support services for victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. These include the Find and Connect Support Services, Redress Support Services and the National Redress Scheme.

An Advisory Group was appointed to assist the department on this important project. The Advisory Group includes people with lived experience of child sexual abuse and other experts. It advises on the Memorial's development including its purpose, location and key qualities.
November 2020

The department undertook a national consultation process via an online survey. This enabled all Australians to share their views on the Memorial. In particular, people with lived experience of institutional and other forms of child sexual abuse.

The survey received 287 responses. More than 60 per cent were from people with lived experience of child sexual abuse. Read the Consultation Summary Report.

A summary of the consultation findings was provided to the Advisory Group. This supported their consideration of the Memorial's site and commemorative intent. This was reflected in the design brief for the national design competition. The design brief outlined the requirements to assist design teams to produce suitable designs for the Memorial.
2021

The Canberra National Memorials Committee approved the location for the Memorial on Acton Peninsula in Canberra.

The National Capital Authority ran the National Design Competition between April and December 2021. The preferred Memorial design was selected.
16 February 2022

The selected Memorial design was announced following approval from the Canberra National Memorials Committee.
2022-23

The design concept underwent technical assessments, which revealed complex construction challenges. The department worked with the National Capital Authority, in consultation with Mr McClellan and the Advisory Group to attempt to resolve this. It was agreed the design challenges were too complex to resolve.
November 2023

The Australian Government made the decision to terminate the Memorial design selected in 2021 due to the unacceptable risks and to commence a new design selection process.

Media releases

More information

Learn about the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Learn about the National Redress Scheme for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse.

For other enquiries, email the department at RCMemorial@dss.gov.au.

Support Services

Child sexual abuse can be a difficult issue to hear, think or read about. To access support at any time please contact:

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