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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Tom McIlroy and Krishani Dhanji

Kim Beazley defends Australian War Memorial decision to exclude Ben Roberts-Smith book from prize

A general view of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra
The Australian War Memorial council broadened eligibility for the 2022 award, but changed it back in 2024, the Guardian has learned. Photograph: AAP

Kim Beazley has defended the Australian War Memorial’s decision to not award a prestigious literary prize to journalist Chris Masters for a book about alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, insisting the rules prevent established authors from being considered.

The memorial chair told Guardian Australia the prize is “explicitly for emerging authors” and not for those who have previously published major titles.

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