The national body of the Returned & Services League has backed calls to protect the Hobart Cenotaph from the proposed Macquarie Point stadium development with special legislation.
RSL Australia Deputy President Duncan Anderson said the Cenotaph is the nation’s oldest state capital city war memorial and its heritage values, cultural and spiritual significance must be respected.
“The Cenotaph is Tasmania’s main war memorial and has been the site of commemoration services since 1919. Next year, it will celebrate the centenary of its completion in 1925,” he said.
“It is a prominent Hobart landmark commanding important sightlines across Hobart and is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.”
“Undoubtedly, it is of great historic heritage significance, marking the service and sacrifice of Tasmanians in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations around the world over more than a century.”
Anderson shared concerns held by officials from RSL Tasmania that the proposed stadium would destroy the Cenotaph’s views and dwarf the memorial.
“As custodians of this sacred site, RSL Australia and its state branch cannot stand by and allow the Cenotaph to be impacted in this way,” Anderson said.
The Greens are pushing forward with a bill to stop the state government from riding “roughshod over protected heritage values that are so critically important to the community”.
“There are many reasons why a billion dollar stadium at Mac Point is both unpopular and unnecessary and its impact on the irreplaceable values of the Cenotaph are one of the most important ones,” Veterans Affairs spokesperson Vica Bayley said.
