Veterans honoured on Remembrance Day

• Queensland State War Memorial is the focus of Remembrance Day
• Queensland Veterans’ Council now responsible for Anzac Square
• Queensland Government committed to supporting veterans

Acting Premier Steven Miles will lay a wreath at Anzac Square in Brisbane today to pay tribute to Australians who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

Remembrance Day also honours the Australian Defence Force personnel who are still affected by the impacts of their service.

The Shrine of Remembrance and Eternal Flame at Anzac Square is the principal Remembrance Day site for many Queenslanders.  Additionally, hundreds of events will be help around Queensland to mark the day.

This is the first Remembrance Day for which Anzac Square and the three Anzac Square Memorial Galleries beneath the parklands are the responsibility of the Queensland Veterans’ Council.

After 90 years in the care of Brisbane City Council, responsibility was transferred to the Queensland Veterans’ Council (QVC) earlier this month.

The QVC, established as a statutory body in 2021, provides advice to the Queensland Government on veterans’ matters and administers the Anzac Day Trust Fund which supports veterans.

The state government provides a range of supports for veterans including housing assistance, health care, education and training, and commemoration and recognition.

In 2020, the Queensland Government committed an additional $10 million over four years to enhance veterans’ support and to deliver initiatives to recognise and support veterans and their families.

It committed a further $1.9 million through the 2023-24 State Budget.

Quotes attributable to Acting Premier Steven Miles:

“Remembrance Day is an opportunity to honour the fallen and thank the veterans who gave so much to Australia.

“Queenslanders around the state will pay tribute to our servicemen and women at local events, because we are proud of our long history of service to protect our freedoms. 

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to supporting our veterans, so they have an improved life today and into the future.” 

Quote attributable to Assistant Minister to the Premier for Veterans’ Affairs and the Public Sector Bart Mellish:

“Remembrance Day is an important occasion for millions of Queenslanders as we honour those who served and sacrificed for Australia.

“The Queensland Government support for our veterans, through a range of programs and initiatives, emphasises the importance we place on their welfare.”

Further Background

• The First World War cessation of hostilities on the Western Front took effect at 11am on 11 November 1918. 
• More than 57,000 Queensland soldiers enlisted in the First World War.
• Almost twice that number of Queenslanders enlisted in the Second World War.
• The Governor of Queensland Sir John Goodwin lit Australia’s first Eternal Flame at the site on Armistice Day - as Remembrance Day on 11 November was then known – in 1930.
• Brisbane City Council assumed responsibility for its care in 1933.
• Today, Anzac Square is dedicated to the men and women who have served this country in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions since the 1899 Boer War. 

For more information, visit the Queensland Veterans’ Portal at www.qld.gov.au/veterans.

ENDS