The Australian War Memorial (the Memorial) is a corporate Commonwealth entity (CCE) established by the Australian Memorial Act 1980 (the Memorial Act). Its purpose is ‘to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war or on operational service and those who have served our nation in times of conflict.’

In November 2018, the Australian government announced funding of $498.7 million for the Development Project to 2028. The Memorial is a nationally significant cultural institution which manages assets valued at $1.5 billion. The funding of $548.7 million for the Development Project represents a significant increase in the Memorial’s project management and procurement activity.

This audit provides assurance to the Parliament about the effectiveness of the Memorial’s procurement and project management arrangements. This includes whether the Memorial complied with CPRs and established effective governance and contract management arrangements to deliver the project.

Key findings:

• The Memorial’s management of the Development Project was largely effective. Shortcomings in the management of probity risks would have been improved with full implementation of internal policies and procedures.
• Procurement policies, governance and project management arrangements were largely effective.
• Procurement activities were largely conducted in compliance with the CPRs. Higher value procurements were conducted through open and competitive processes and assessments were appropriately documented in tender evaluation reports.