Multimillion-dollar boost to support WA Veterans and families

WA Veterans and their families will benefit from a new multipurpose hub, Veteran’s Central, which is being built at ANZAC House with support from a $4.6 million Lotterywest grant.

Premier Mark McGowan toured the ANZAC House construction site this week to inspect progress works and provide the Lotterywest grant in the lead-up to ANZAC Day.

The State Government’s $4.6 million grant, through Lotterywest, will go towards the construction and fit-out of a dedicated Veterans’ Central, which will house a range of services for veterans and their families in one place, making it easier for veterans and their families to engage in ex-service support when they visit.

ANZAC House will include office space for the Returned Services League WA (RSLWA) staff and office holders, a club area for members, a function room and a café along with the new Veteran’s Central.

Meeting local construction company PINDAN workers on site, the Premier was able to see the start of construction and view the latest artist impressions, which includes an extra storey to ANZAC House, taking it to a seven storey building from its original proposed six-storey plans.

Five months since the sod was first turned, construction to the proposed state-of-the-art building is progressing well with about 20 per cent of works complete.

This grant towards establishing the specialised one-stop-shop for WA veterans is in addition to Lotterywest support totalling $814,802 which has been provided for this year’s ANZAC Day commemorations across the State.

The RSLWA State Branch was established in 1916 to support war veterans and their families.

Its current membership is around 10,000 Service and Affiliate Members that belong to a network of 132 sub-branches.

RSLWA staff and volunteers are currently based in leased premises in Perth CBD while ANZAC House is being constructed and is expected to be complete for ANZAC Day 2020.

In a rare occasion and upon invitation, Premier Mark McGowan will speak at this year’s ANZAC Dawn Service as part of a schedule of commemorative events for ANZAC Day.

“I’m pleased to provide this $4.6 million Lotterywest grant, which will go towards establishing Veterans’ Central – a dedicated hub for veterans and their families to access support in one location,” Mr McGowan said.

“The intent of the new Veterans’ Hub is to provide a facility to support our veterans and promote collaboration between ex-service organisations in WA.

“ANZAC House was an iconic institution for many in Perth and I look forward to seeing it up and running again once the new build complete.

“ANZAC Day is a chance for us to reflect and acknowledge the dedication and sacrifice of all the brave men and women who have served their country and I am honoured to be part of a range of commemorative activities this year, including the invitation to speak at the Dawn Service at Kings Park.”