National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (National Memorial)

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The Design Competition for the National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse is now complete. The competition attracted strong interest from Australian design professionals. Following a robust selection process, the jury selected the design scheme titled ‘Transparency and Truth’ by architects Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley. The design was approved by the Canberra National Memorials Committee on 20 January 2022.

A conceptual illustration of the selected design titled ‘Transparency and Truth’ by Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley:

Conceptual illustration of selected design. Titled ‘Transparency and Truth’ by Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley.

A short video featuring the views of some design competition selection panel members on why the National Memorial is important to people with lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse is provided in the link below.

This video may raise issues or cause distress for some viewers. If you need emotional support at any time please contact:

Please note the design image above and those included in the video are an artist’s design concept that will undergo further refinement in preparation for construction. Further information on the selected design, including images and the commended entries, is provided in the Jury Report available on the National Capital Authority’s website.

On 16 February, the Minister for Families and Social Services and Minister for Women’s Safety, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, jointly announced the design with the Assistant Minster for Regional Development and Territories, the Hon Nola Marino MP.

Construction of the National Memorial is expected to commence in 2022.

National Memorial design competition

The department’s key project partner, the National Capital Authority (NCA), has conducted a national design competition on behalf of the Government to determine a suitable National Memorial design. The design brief was developed in consultation with the National Memorial Advisory Group (Advisory Group), taking into consideration feedback received through the public online consultation process.

On 9 April 2021, Minister for Families and Social Services and Minister for Women's Safety, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston (Minister Ruston) and Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories, the Hon Nola Marino MP, announced the opening of the national design competition from Monday 12 April 2021. The competition closed on Friday 21 May 2021.

The competition was open to all Australian design professionals (architects, landscape architects or engineers) to lead collaborative teams, including members of the general public and where practicable, individuals with lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse.

In late 2021, following a robust selection process, the jury selected the preferred design, which was approved by the Canberra National Memorials Committee on 20 January 2022. The jury was comprised of the chair, the Hon Peter McClellan AM QC (former chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse), individuals with lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse, and design industry professionals.

The Jury Report is available on the NCA’s website at National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse | National Capital Authority (nca.gov.au).

For any competition-related enquiries, please contact the NCA at RCMemorial@nca.gov.au. For all other National Memorial project enquiries, please contact the department at RCMemorial@dss.gov.au.

Background

In its Final Report, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission) recommended the Australian Government establish the National Memorial (recommendation 17.6) , which the Government accepted.

In the lead up to the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (National Apology), the National Apology Reference Group (Reference Group) consulted stakeholders on the Royal Commission's recommendation.

Following these consultations, the Reference Group advised the Australian Government to 'establish a national memorial for victims and survivors which is both educative in nature but also offers a place of support and reflection for survivors'. The Reference Group also recommended that 'a further process should be undertaken to settle the design and location of the national memorial, in consultation with survivors.'

In delivering the National Apology on 22 October 2018, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, honoured the courage and strength of those with lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse, and committed to establishing 'a place of truth and commemoration, to raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of child sexual abuse.'

On 6 October 2020, the Government committed funding towards the establishment of the National Memorial in Canberra.

The Advisory Group, appointed by Minister Ruston, has been established to assist the department on this important project. The Advisory Group includes sector representatives with lived experience and other experts to advise on key aspects of the National Memorial's design, including the purpose, location, and key attributes.

The Department of Social Services (department) also conducted a public online consultation process in November 2020 to provide interested stakeholders, particularly people with lived experience, with an opportunity to share their views on the National Memorial. Read the Consultation Summary Report.

Media releases

More information

The department will provide National Memorial updates on this webpage.

The department has provided responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the National Memorial, including questions sent to the National Memorial mailbox and those raised through the National Memorial survey. The FAQs will be updated regularly.

For more information about the Royal Commission, visit the Commission's website.

For more information about the National Redress Scheme for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse, visit the Redress website.

For any other enquires please email RCMemorial@dss.gov.au.

Support Services

If you need emotional support at any time please contact:

If you need support from a Redress or Find and Connect organisation, you can reach them via the following links:

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