The Morrison Government will provide an additional $1.3 million to establish the Canberra Holocaust Museum and Education Centre as part of an ongoing commitment to support Holocaust awareness in Australia.

Acting Minister for Education and Youth Stuart Robert announced the additional funding support on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, bringing the Commonwealth’s financial commitment to the project to around $2 million.

‘Today we remember those who lost their lives and reflect on the devastating impact of the Holocaust on the international Jewish community,’ Minister Robert said.

‘We owe it to those who died or lost loved ones to ensure this dark period of history is never forgotten and never repeated, and educating future generations has a key role to play in achieving this.

‘I am pleased this funding will help get the Canberra Holocaust Museum and Education Centre off the ground and on its way to becoming a valuable resource to educate Australia’s youth.

‘Since 2019, the Morrison Government has committed more than $12 million to a suite of school-focused initiatives, tackling all forms of discrimination, to build social cohesion within schools, including digital Holocaust education resources.’

A report released today by the Gandel Foundation has found that almost one-quarter of Australian adults have little to no knowledge of the Holocaust and more than 70 per cent are not aware of Australia’s own connections to the Holocaust.

‘The survey of more than 3,500 people is an important piece of work by the Gandel Foundation and helps to show just how important education is,’ Minister Robert said.

‘Australians should be proud of our free and democratic society, and greater knowledge of the Holocaust will help to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated.

‘It is particularly appropriate to build a Holocaust museum in the nation’s capital alongside Australia’s democratic institutions and I would like to thank the ACT Government for their assistance in this important effort.

The centre will be funded through the Community Development Grants program in line with Australia’s commitment to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which Australia joined in 2019.

The facility, which will be built at the current site of the National Jewish Memorial Centre (NJMC) in Forrest, ACT, will incorporate interactive digital learning tools.

ACT Jewish Community Treasurer and Facilities Committee Chair Dr David Rosalky said the museum will provide basic information on Judaism and Jewish life in pre-war Europe before its destruction in the Holocaust.

‘The ACT Jewish Community is grateful for the grant from the Commonwealth Government,’ Dr Rosalky said.

‘The centre will make a valuable contribution to the education and informing of visitors to the memorial centre, especially the groups of school children who regularly visit. The nature of the Holocaust will be illustrated, leading to an understanding of how democratic and law-based society, highlighted through the institutions of government in our nation’s capital, can prevent such tragedies.’