On Sunday, October 11, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to mark 25 years since Australia joined the war in Afghanistan, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Guardian and ABC. The Herald said about 600 veterans attended and that Albanese honoured the 47 Australian personnel who died as a result of their service. ABC reported that he quoted John Howard, prime minister in 2001, on why Australia went to war after the September 11 attacks. Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was among those present, the Herald, The Age and the Guardian said. ABC reported that veterans asked the prime minister to release official war histories. The Australian reported that Phil Thompson greeted Roberts-Smith despite a Coalition rift, which it did not explain in the item we saw.
Twenty-five years on, the Afghanistan war is still a live question in Australian public life: how the nation honours those who served, how it deals with allegations of war crimes by a small number, and whether the official record of the war is open to the public.
If you or someone you know served, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Open Arms offer free support, including counselling. For everyone else, the next occasion to mark the service is Remembrance Day on November 11.
The anniversary was a fitting moment to put the focus on the families and the 47 who died, and to hear veterans’ concerns directly.
Having a man at the centre of war-crimes findings among the guests risks overshadowing the families and the many who served without blame.
Watch two things. Does Albanese or the Defence minister respond to the call for the official war histories to be released, and does the guest list prompt any formal comment from the Opposition? We will not report an attendance figure beyond the Herald’s 600 until a second outlet confirms it.
Sydney Morning Herald · The Age · The Guardian · ABC News · The Australian (Oct. 11) · Attendance figure from one outlet
Ben Roberts-Smith joins 600 veterans in Canberra as Albanese marks 25 years since Australia went to war in AfghanistanBen Roberts-Smith joins 600 veterans in Canberra as Albanese marks 25 years since Australia went to war in Afghanistan
At the Australian War Memorial on Sunday the prime minister honoured the 47 Australian personnel who died as a result of their service. Veterans used the day to press for the release of official war histories.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday marked 25 years since Australia joined the war in Afghanistan, at a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Guardian and ABC reported. The Herald said about 600 veterans attended. It reported that Albanese honoured the 47 Australian personnel who died as a result of their service, and the families who continue to live with their loss. The Guardian said he used the anniversary to describe the troops’ heroism.
ABC reported that Albanese quoted former prime minister John Howard on what drove Australia to join the conflict after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Australian forces went in as part of a US-led coalition within weeks of those attacks and stayed, in changing roles, for about two decades. That timeline is background, not something the day’s reports set out.
The guest who drew most attention was Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, whom the Herald, The Age and the Guardian all named among those attending. In 2023 the Federal Court found, on the civil standard of proof, that he had unlawfully killed unarmed Afghans while serving as a soldier. He has denied wrongdoing and lost an appeal. Those details are background drawn from earlier reporting, not from Sunday’s coverage. The Australian reported that Phil Thompson greeted him despite what it called a Coalition rift; we did not see the rift explained.
Veterans used the occasion to press a demand. ABC reported that former soldiers called on the prime minister to release the official war histories of the conflict, and a second ABC report spoke of “the empty places that remain” since Australia joined the fighting. We did not see a government reply to the request.
The ceremony matters beyond the headline guest. For many who served, the anniversary is a reminder that the costs of a deployment continue long after the troops come home, including injury, trauma and the loss of mates. The Herald’s account put the families of the fallen at the centre of the prime minister’s remarks.
The Age said politicians joined the veterans in Canberra, but we could not confirm which parties were represented or how many. Nor did we find a response from the Opposition Leader, Angus Taylor, or any new policy announcement from the day. The attendance figure of 600 comes from one outlet and has not been checked against a second.
Former and serving personnel who want support can contact Open Arms, the free counselling service for veterans and their families, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The next national commemoration is Remembrance Day on November 11.