According to the MDC website, the Department of Veterans Affairs is forking up $250k to kick-start the project. The ATO has approved charity concessions for the MDC from income tax, GST and FBT, and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status has been approved by the Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer. And, of course, all donations are tax deductible.

So in other words, the taxpayer ultimately pays for the monuments – either directly through MVA funding or indirectly through tax deductions to individuals and corporations.

So as a taxpayer, I have to ask: Why the bloody hell do we need another effing war memorial? Make that 2 effing war memorials? As if we don’t have enough WWI & II monuments in every country town and many city suburbs. Plus, Anzac Squares with their eternal flames, ‘Anzac Avenues’ everywhere, memorials in France, memorials in Turkey, memorials in New Guinea, memorials in schools, memorials in cemeteries ... and on and on.

Australia is war mad nation of shrine junkies ... and getting worse all the time. For heaven’s sake! Get a grip!

Sounds like you have a problem with war memorials;

This article asks, "Would our war dead like to be memorialised with the profits from making the weapons that killed them?"

Most probably, the profits will come from friendly companies whose weapons we use and, in fact, many a soldier will form something much more than a casual relationship with his weapons and other critical equipment.

As a former long-serving officer, I'd have no problem with memorials built with funds from the arms industry ... even though I'm glad I didn't have to go to war with some of the weapons I ended up 'loving'.

Nothing like loving the tools of your own demise.War is and has always been a racket for the military,banking,industrial complexes of this planet to expand their wealth and power.

My demise, Arjay, is some way off yet hopefully and won't be the result of any of my former tools.

And grow up. War is about a bit more than profit ... and deserves better discussion than rants by lefty peaceniks.

'And grow up. War is about a bit more than profit ... and deserves better discussion than rants by lefty peaceniks.'

That goes both ways, Colonel.

The arguments of those who do not automatically genuflect to the destructive cult of the noble warrior also deserve better discussion.