The Australian War Memorial has updated the display dedicated to Ben Roberts-Smith after the former Special Air Service (SAS) corporal was officially charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.
The changes, implemented on Friday, mean nearly half of the descriptive plaque in the museum’s Hall of Valour is now dedicated to events occurring after his military service, beginning with the initial reports of misconduct in 2016.
Previously, the display concluded by noting that Roberts-Smith had not been charged with any criminal offence.
As of Friday, the updated text now reads:
“In April 2026, Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. The legal process is ongoing.”
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailAt a media conference on Friday, Matt Anderson, director of the Australian War Memorial, said the museum remained committed to keeping the public informed but also to the principle of the presumption of innocence.
“The memorial’s commitment throughout this entire process … has been to ensure that the panel in the galleries is up to date and covers the facts,” Anderson said.
“I’m very conscious now, [given] the gravity of the charges that have been laid, the most important thing all of us can do now is allow justice to take its course … and there’s nothing I am going to say or do today or at any stage in the Australian War Memorial that will influence or impact on the opportunities of a fair trial.
“What we’ve done consistently is update the panel in the galleries to keep the visiting public abreast of where that case is at, and that’s what we’ve done again today.”
Anderson said Roberts-Smith’s equipment, uniform, and medal groups would remain on display.
“The reason Ben Roberts-Smith, VC, MG, is in the Hall of Valor at the Australian War Memorial is because of his actions in Tizak in the Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on 11 June, 2010,” he said.
“That’s why he’s up in the galleries in the Hall of Valor with other recipients of the Victoria Cross – for his actions on that day.”
The timing of the panel update as Roberts-Smith awaits a bail hearing has come at an inopportune time for the institution, which opened 7,000 square metres of gallery space on Friday as part of its controversial $500m expansion project.
The redevelopment was designed to modernise the site and provide more space to honour recent conflicts, but public and media attention has remained fixed on the Hall of Valour.
The Roberts-Smith panel in that hall is expected to remain in its current form until a verdict is reached in any criminal trial.
