The Australian War Memorial has updated its museum display relating to Ben Roberts-Smith, as part of a live news day covering a range of domestic and international issues.
The update comes against a backdrop of continuing debate over public institutions, military history and how contentious figures are represented in national collections. The live coverage noted the change without adding further detail about the exact nature of the memorial’s revisions.
In the same live blog, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned that the Iran war will leave lasting damage on the global economy, even if a durable peace agreement is eventually reached in the Middle East. The warning was described as a sign that, even under the most optimistic scenario, the world should expect a growth downgrade rather than a quick return to normal.
The live coverage also included renewed criticism of the Australian government’s response to Israel’s military actions. One contributor argued that previous statements from Foreign Minister Penny Wong, including whether she was “concerned” or “gravely concerned,” had made no difference.
That same commentary called for Australia to cancel more than a billion dollars in Israeli arms contracts. It argued that doing so would not only answer concerns about what was described as appalling Israeli military attacks, but would also place real pressure on Israel to pull back from the war in Lebanon, which was described as disastrous, illegal and immoral, and as threatening global peace.
The remarks also said Australia should not be buying weapons tested by Israeli defence manufacturers in conflicts such as Gaza and Lebanon, and should not be contributing any weapons parts. The argument was that cutting those ties would make it clear to Israel that there is a direct and real cost to its actions.
The live updates brought together a mix of defence, foreign policy and economic issues, reflecting the broad range of pressures facing the Albanese government and its counterparts overseas. While the Australian War Memorial’s display update was one of the domestic items highlighted, the day’s coverage was dominated by wider geopolitical concern, especially around the economic fallout from the Iran war and the regional consequences of the fighting involving Israel and Lebanon.
More updates were expected as the live blog continued.
