The Headstone Project

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. N.J. Centofanti:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the importance of providing due recognition to those who served in World War I, and that The Headstone Project gives that recognition, respect and a sense of closure to World War I veterans' families;

2. Calls on the Malinauskas Labor government to support our fallen soldiers and provide funding to The Headstone Project at the requested amount of $75,000 guaranteed for three years; and

3. Calls on the Malinauskas Labor government to petition the Albanese federal government to reverse its previous decision and agree to grant The Headstone Project SA 'Deductible Gift Recipient' status.

(Continued from 19 February 2025.)

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:40): I rise today to speak in full support of this motion brought forward by my colleague the Hon. Dr Nicola Centofanti recognising the invaluable work of The Headstone Project and its dedicated volunteers. This is a project driven by respect for the service and sacrifice of our World War I veterans, many of whom have lain in unmarked graves for far too long.

What began in Tasmania through the tireless efforts of researchers and volunteers has grown to be a remarkable movement of remembrance in South Australia. The South Australian chapter has made significant progress since 2016. They have installed 107 headstones, facilitated 20 additional installations through the Office of Australian War Graves, arranged 13 Centennial Park plaques and identified over 400 veterans still resting in unmarked graves. This is not just about stones, it is about honouring those who gave so much for our nation, providing closure to family and ensuring that history does not forget them.

Despite these efforts, funding challenges persist. The group's modest request for $75,000 per year to continue marking around 50 graves annually has not been fully met. The state government's partial funding of $20,000 per year, while a small step forward, falls short of what is needed to properly support this important work.

We are talking about righting a historical wrong. Many of these diggers were buried during the Great Depression when families simply could not afford to mark graves. The Headstone Project brings dignity and recognition back to these men and serves as a powerful reminder to future generations of the sacrifices made for our freedom. With that, I note my full support for this motion.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (17:42): It gives me a great deal of pleasure to endorse this motion and to wholeheartedly endorse the incredible work of The Headstone Project in ensuring that the service of unknown soldiers is not only recognised but their names are enshrined on previously unmarked graves. There are thousands of them, tucked away in distant corners of cemeteries around the nation, without anything to identify the remains that lay there.

Only through the determination of The Headstone Project and its band of volunteers and meticulous researchers have we been able to learn about them, their military histories and their family circumstances. It is the most rewarding and fascinating work in that it can turn up previously unknown information about their service in the World Wars. There could be hundreds, if not thousands, of still unmarked pauper graves containing remains that could be turned over and reused with living descendants being unaware of the situation.

The reasons for being unmarked can be a reflection of the financial circumstances of their loved one's family. Many had died during the tough economic times of the Great Depression and the Spanish Influenza epidemic, leaving their families with little choice on the modest type of burial with no headstone or even a modest wooden cross.

The Headstone Project is such a unique and invaluable program run by volunteers, which is of historic significance to our community, and it is done with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The research that goes into finding the person's history is so detailed and they have unearthed interesting backstories of those forgotten heroes.

Another fabulous outcome of this research is that not only does it go into finding a person's history in such a detailed form and unearthing their backstories but it also connects the remains with living descendants here and overseas. Sometimes they cannot be located. On many occasions, families only learn about their distant relatives for the first time as a result of the work done by The Headstone Project.

The Headstone Project in South Australia has dedicated hundreds of graves as a result of their search, and it is done in a solemn manner at moving ceremonies befitting the commemoration of our service men and women. Their work is done, as I said, voluntarily, and the average cost of dedicating one of these graves is only about $1,500.

I was honoured to be invited by John Brownlie and his team to a large dedication in Renmark last year, where 18 graves were identified. It was a rainy day and the poignancy seemed quite appropriate, the heavens sending tears of appreciation, even joy, for the recognition that was about to take place. At the ceremony, I met descendants of the service personnel who were there. Some came with medals that they had discovered. The dedication is quite moving in itself: a person dressed in a uniform standing to attention. The families are in attendance. An ode is delivered, and then the headstone is unfurled.

I dedicated one of them. Sadly, there was no family there for Frank Norman, who was born in Kristinestad, Finland, in 1890. On enlistment, he gave his occupation as a sailor. Between 1915 and 1916, he was a crew member of HMT Armidale. At the end of his naval engagement in 1916, he enlisted in the AIF. He did not marry nor had children. It cannot be established whether Frank was his real Christian name or whether he had anglicised his name (or names), although this is highly possible given the lack of information on genealogical sites.

Sadly, numerous inquiries have failed to find any records of family, but there are two South Australia Police Gazette entries for Frank Norman, which described him as a gardener and a native of Finland, such is the level of detail covered in the research. Frank's military service saw him enlist in the AIF at Broken Hill on 6 July 1916. He gave his occupation as sailor, with his sister Meri Norman of Kristinestad, Finland, as his next of kin. He was given service number 2131 and originally attached to the 43^rd Battalion. The battalion embarked at Adelaide on 28 August 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England, on 11 October 1916, where he was transferred to the 37^th Battalion.

The battalion moved to France on 22 November 1916. On 4 February 1917, Private Norman was transferred to the 3^rd Division Salvage Company. On 30 April 1917, Private Norman badly fractured his left ankle whilst on salvage duties and, as a result, he was evacuated to England and admitted to the Ampton Hall Red Cross Hospital. He was invalided to Australia, arriving in Adelaide on 10 December 1917, and was discharged from the AIF as medically unfit.

Frank Norman died of pulmonary tuberculosis at Renmark on 12 October 1949 at the age of 59 years. His death certificate has no details of any family. It shows he lived in Australia for some 40 years. He was receiving a pension at the time of his death. Although he gave his religion as Church of England, he was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Renmark cemetery.

As I said, the dedication was quite a moving experience for myself and the others who were there. What I am taking from it now is that Frank Norman, like all the others who have been dedicated, has not been forgotten. Now, not only does Frank Norman's name live on in a headstone in a distant corner of the Renmark cemetery but his service record and his life are acknowledged in this place in Hansard. I think this is a rewarding feature of just what The Headstone Project do.

They also do amazing work with schools. The project and what they do has led to the creation of a fascinating school project where students of St Mary's on West Terrace are now assisting in identifying unmarked graves. They are currently looking at nurses who served in the wars.

The lack of funding that this organisation receives is disappointing, and that has been pointed out by members in here. I wrote to Minister Joe Szakacs; the Treasurer, the Hon. Stephen Mullighan; and the Premier, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas, urging them to give ongoing financial support to The Headstone Project to the tune of about $75,000 a year over five years to enable them to identify 50 unmarked graves each year. It is about $1,500 per grave, which is an extremely small amount to pay to honour these heroes.

I urged the Premier and the ministers to allocate this grant as part of the 2024 state budget. The minister wrote back to me and indicated that the government would give funding to The Headstone Project, but it only amounted to a paltry $20,000. Quite frankly, I really do not think that that is good enough.

I think the other issue that The Headstone Project are trying to pursue is the commonwealth government's deductible gift recipient status, which is quite important. They have made numerous applications and have been rejected. What the deductible gift recipient status does is enable The Headstone Project to get donations that are tax deductible. It actually assists them in their work and would also reduce the burden—if you can call it a burden; I would not call it a burden, it reduces the outlay—on the state government in giving them funding.

I am at a loss to explain why the commonwealth continues to knock this back. I see there are a couple of hundred charities who have this status—of course, it is given to many worthwhile charities as well, but there are some in there that do not deserve it as much as The Headstone Project does in getting this.

I note that the Hon. Tung Ngo will move an amendment to the motion, where he says that the council:

3. Supports The Headstone Project's efforts to apply to the commonwealth government for 'Deductible Gift Recipient' status.

That is not good enough. 'Let's encourage them to keep applying and get knocked back.' That is not what it needs to be. Actually, the government needs to endorse The Headstone Project's efforts to get deductible gift recipient status, not just say, 'Okay, keep applying for it and getting nowhere.' I cannot say I am going to support that element of the motion, unfortunately.

I just cannot emphasise enough the worth of this project and what it does. I have seen the expressions on the faces of the families at these dedications, where they suddenly have been able to recognise that they had family members who served their country in so many theatres of war and did so gallantly. It is really such a noble project and it deserves far more recognition.

I am hoping that in the coming state budget we may see a further allocation given to The Headstone Project to enable their great work to continue. I make this point: we should not allow Remembrance Day ceremonies on 25 April and 11 November to be just token gestures. Let us really remember them all and not consign them to being unknown soldiers in desolate corners of a cemetery, whose remains may one day be unceremoniously dug up and disposed of in a dump—because that is what is likely to happen.

When I attend the ceremonies and I see members from this place—ministers and others—rightfully there and acknowledging the service of servicemen, I just want them to take a moment and reflect on those who have been forgotten and who, if it had not been for The Headstone Project, probably would have been forgotten forever. That is how important this is. I wholeheartedly support the motion by the honourable member, and I look forward to the day that this project gets the recognition that it rightfully deserves in terms of getting financial backing to enable them to do this great work.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:57): I rise to speak on this motion. Before I do that, I move to amend the motion as follows:

Leave out paragraphs 2 and 3 and insert new paragraphs as follows—

2. Supports our fallen soldiers and recognises that the Malinauskas Labor government has committed to provide more than $70,000 in funding to The Headstone Project over three years; and

3. Supports The Headstone Project's efforts to apply to the commonwealth government for 'Deductible Gift Recipient' status.

I rise to speak on the honourable member's motion and to stand in support of honouring a generation that answered history's most difficult call. That call came more than a century ago, when Australian men and women served in World War I, far from home and in unimaginable hardship. When those who survived returned, they did their best to slip quietly back into civilian life, while so many others never made it home at all. Too often, their resting places were left without a headstone, without a story and without the gratitude they so richly earned and rightly deserved.

This is why The Headstone Project matters. The Malinauskas Labor government has committed more than $70,000 over the next three years to support this project. That funding will help to pay for stone inscriptions and ceremonies, ensuring each veteran is honoured with the respect owed to them. It is a tangible sign that South Australia does not forget its heroes and that we value action over words.

This is a government that wants to honour our war heroes. One headstone at a time, we can help to restore dignity to World War I service men and women whose graves have previously been, tragically, unmarked or forgotten. The Headstone Project offers their descendants, sometimes four or five generations on, the comfort of knowing that their ancestor's name, rank and service are now carved in stone and recognised by the nation they made the ultimate sacrifice to protect.

More importantly, the project will give families a place to gather, to lay flowers and to feel that final sense of closure. However, funding alone is not enough. To keep pace with the growing demand, The Headstone Project is seeking deductible gift recipient status from the commonwealth government. The Malinauskas Labor government supports efforts to secure DGR status because it allows everyday Australians to make tax-deductible donations. This can help to unlock and encourage a broader stream of support.

I take this opportunity to thank the volunteers who meticulously research service records, the stonemasons who craft each marker and the families who keep memories alive. You all have our deepest gratitude. Your work completes the circle of remembrance that started on distant battlefields and ends here in our cemeteries. We want no veteran's story to fade into anonymity and we want our future generations to walk past those headstones, read the names and understand the price of their own freedom.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (18:02): It is my honour to rise in support of the motion moved by the Hon. Nicola Centofanti. This motion recognises the vital work of The Headstone Project South Australia, a grassroots initiative that ensures those who served our nation in World War I, many of whom lie in unmarked graves, are given the dignity that they deserve.

These were Australian veterans. They were men and women who answered the call when their country needed them most, who returned home often scarred and often silent and were buried with no recognition, no marker and no public memory of their service. The Headstone Project is changing that. It is not a government agency. It is not a department. It is a group of volunteers of researchers, historians and community members driven by respect and not recognition.

They search cemeteries across South Australia, more than 900 of them, locating unmarked graves of World War I veterans. They dive into war records, death notices and family histories to confirm the identities of the deceased, then they prepare detailed reports and arrange for official military headstones to be placed at these long-forgotten sites. These markers are not just granite and bronze, they are restored dignity, they are public acknowledgement, they are small long-overdue thankyous.

According to The Headstone Project, there are more than 2,500 unmarked World War I graves in our state, that is 2,500 stories untold, 2,500 names without honour, 2,500 families without closure. In my hometown of Naracoorte, several of these stories are now being honoured: Edward Bannon, John Bennett, Roy Bourne and William Cother. Their graves now carry the recognition they earned but never received until now.

In Robe, in March last year, the grave of an Aboriginal World War I soldier, Frank Owen, was finally dedicated. In Mount Gambier, at the Lake Terrace Cemetery, two Aboriginal servicemen, John Brett and John Westbury, were honoured by Aboriginal Veterans South Australia. These were deeply moving moments. They are a testament to the quiet power of remembrance, but this work does not happen for free.

The Headstone Project relies entirely on grants and donations—no flashy campaigns, no billboards, just volunteers doing the work governments should have done decades ago. They have asked for $75,000 per year over three years. That is $225,000 in total. For context, that is less than the price of a government advertising campaign or one ministerial overseas travel itinerary. For that amount, we could be giving hundreds of veterans their names back, their place and their honour.

If we are serious about respecting our ANZAC legacy, we must be serious about supporting those who are preserving it. This motion calls on the Malinauskas government to commit that modest but meaningful funding request, and to go one small step further by petitioning the Albanese government to grant The Headstone Project deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. This DGR status would open the door to a more sustainable funding model through philanthropic donations and community support. It is a small ask, but it means a great deal.

'Lest we forget' is a promise, not a platitude, but a promise means nothing without action. The Headstone Project keeps their promise. It is now time for governments, state and federal, to do the same. I commend the motion.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (18:05): In summary, I want to thank members who have contributed to the motion not just today but previously: the Hon. Dennis Hood, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, the Hon. Sarah Game, the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, the Hon. Ben Hood and the Hon. Tung Ngo. Whilst I do note the state government's funding commitment, and I also obviously note the amendments put forward by the Hon. Tung Ngo, this is not what the organisation has asked for, which was funding to the tune of $75,000 per year for three years, which is going to go an incredibly long way to assist with making significant headway on this important project.

There is a significant funding difference between $70,000 over three years and $75,000 per year for three years, or $225,000 over three years. The latter amount, obviously, is the amount that we, the Liberal opposition, have committed if elected in the 2026 state election. That equates to 50 graves per year for the funding period. That is 150 veterans given proper and respectful burials. So we will not be supporting the amendments put forward by the Hon. Tung Ngo to this motion. I do feel for the honourable member, who always seems to get rolled out when substandard amendments are pushed by this government.

As noted in my second reading contribution, and noting also the words from the Hon. Frank Pangallo, deductible gift recipient status through the federal ACNC is absolutely something that would prove incredibly helpful to The Headstone Project. I note that the second amendment put forward by the Hon. Tung Ngo does not provide any action from this state Labor government to help make this happen. It simply says that The Headstone Project can go ahead and do what they wish. Of course they can, and they have been, and they keep getting knocked back, but they can do that without the verbal grace from those opposite. It is typical: all talk but no meaningful action from the Malinauskas Labor government.

The Headstone Project does absolutely incredible work in honouring Australia's veterans by ensuring that every single service person's grave is properly marked and remembered. That is their task; that is what they have set themselves to do in South Australia. Their mission is to locate the unmarked graves of veterans who served for our nation, for our country—many of whom have been forgotten over time—and provide them with the dignity of a headstone and a place of reflection.

Through meticulous research, dedicated volunteers and community support, The Headstone Project preserves the legacy of those who wore the uniform, ensuring their sacrifice and service are never lost to history. I think their efforts are a powerful act of remembrance, respect and gratitude. With that, I want to note one final time the excellent efforts of Mr John Brownlie, and all the volunteers at The Headstone Project, who bring respect and closure to many families of fallen soldiers. I commend the motion in its original form to this chamber.

The PRESIDENT: The first question I am going to put is that paragraphs 2 and 3 as proposed to be struck out by the Hon. T.T. Ngo stand as part of the motion. If you are supporting the Hon. Mr Ngo, you are going to vote no.

The council divided on the question:

Ayes 6

Noes 9

Majority 3

AYES

NOES

PAIRS

Question thus resolved in the negative.

The PRESIDENT: The question is that new paragraphs 2 and 3, as proposed to be inserted by the Hon. T.T. Ngo, be so inserted.

The council divided on the question:

Ayes 9

Noes 6

Majority 3

AYES

NOES

PAIRS

Question thus agreed to; motion as amended carried.