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Executive Summary
This report concerns
recent work to repair roads and carparks on the Gallipoli Peninsula in western Turkey at the site
of the historic Allied campaign in 1915. It is alleged that in late February
2005, Turkish authorities' widening of parts of the coastal road at ANZAC Cove
and the construction of two car parks uncovered fragments of human bone and
damaged the military heritage of the site. This report is concerned
specifically with allegations that the then Australian Minister for Veterans'
Affairs, the Hon. Danna Vale, had requested these roadworks in August 2004 and
was therefore complicit in the damage wrought. The inquiry was established
following public allegations regarding the government's complacency in allowing
the construction to proceed without a proper heritage evaluation of the site.
Chapter 1 of this report examines the significance of
the Gallipoli Peninsula. The 1915
conflict on the Peninsula was part of
an Allied plan for Australian and New Zealand troops to
distract the Turkish army from British troops landing further down the Peninsula. It was
hoped that the British would then face little resistance in their push to
capture the Dardanelles, and then Istanbul, assuming
naval success. The nine-month conflict on the peninsula cost the lives of
87 000 Turkish, 22 000 British, 10 000 French, 8700 Australian
and 2700 New Zealand soldiers,
among others. An estimated 450 000 people were killed or wounded.
The Allied campaign at Gallipoli is one of the
pillars of Australia's miliary history and is widely regarded as a defining moment in the
formation of the Australian nation. It was reported first-hand by the revered
military historian, Charles Bean; popularised in Peter Weir's 1981 film, Gallipoli; authoritatively documented in
Les Carlyon's 2001 book of the same name; and recently depicted in Dr Peter
Stanley's book, Quinn's Post. In
recent years the Allied campaign at Gallipoli has experienced a resurgence of
interest as a symbol of Australian independence, nationhood, national ethos and
identity. There has been strong growth in attendances for ANZAC Day ceremonies
at ANZAC Cove over the last decade. The level of visitation is expected to increase
in the years leading to the centenary commemorations.
The Turkish people also view the Canakkale naval and
Gallipoli land battles as founding national events, albeit for different
reasons. The conflict was Turkey's sole
victory in five First World War campaigns and is seen as the last great victory
of the Ottoman Empire. More
particularly, it flagged the military capability and ambition of Mustafa Kemal,
and the beginning of his role in Turkey's transition to a secular republic.
Chapter 2 reviews the evidence that roadworks were
needed on the Peninsula. Clearly, the
ANZAC Cove sector of Gallipoli is experiencing significantly increased levels
of tourism from Turkish, Australian and New Zealand citizens.
The number of visitors attending the 25 April ceremony at ANZAC Cove has
increased from roughly 10,000 people in 2002 and 2003, to an estimated 18,000
in 2004 and 17,000 in 2005. Hundreds of coaches used the roads on and around
ANZAC Day.
The
evidence received by the Committee was unanimous: the roads around Gallipoli Peninsula were in need
of repair. Apart from the increased volume of traffic, the roads were also
crumbling from erosion, poor construction and lack of past repair work. Some
held concerns that a serious accident may occur along the coastal road. Many
witnesses noted that access by road for commemorations at the ANZAC site has
been difficult with insufficient parking spaces for coaches coming in from the
north. There are also inadequate facilities for those attending commemorative
activities at the ANZAC Commemorative Site adjacent to ANZAC Cove, including poor
water supply and toilet facilities.
The Turkish
Government, in recognition of its responsibilities and the need to provide
better access on the peninsula for visitors of all nationalities, has embarked
on a major program of investment in road upgrades. Under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, it is the
responsibility of the Turkish Government to ensure the upkeep of the roads to
the many Allied and Turkish memorials on the Peninsula. The
Australian Government, through the agency of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs
and the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG), and the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT), has been active in seeking improvements to all facilities
at the Australian commemorative site, including improved road access and
parking. In August 2004, a request was made in a letter from the then
Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs, the Hon. Danna Vale, to the Turkish
Minister for Environment and Forests, His Excellency Mr Osman Pepe. The letter
suggested improved turnaround facilities for coaches at two northern locations
on the coastal road. It also recommended an upgrade of the inland road from
Lone Pine up to Chunuk Bair, and down
along the third ridge to the Kemalyeri Memorial.
The
roadworks undertaken by Turkish contractors from late February to mid-April 2005
were restricted to the coastal road. The repairs included: the construction of
carparks at North Beach and on the seaward side of the road adjacent to
Shrapnel Valley; the extension of the road on the northern headland of Ari
Burnu; the removal of a short section of road on the seaward end of ANZAC Gully;
raising and deepening the southern headland of Hell's Spit; and a 15 metre
excavation on Brighton Beach to the south of ANZAC Cove. Along the
southern parts of the coastal road, the cliff has been sheared off to enable
new bitumen to be laid. Spoil from the shearing was dumped onto the beach and
into the sea below.
Chapter
3 examines the two main concerns with the recent construction work on the
coastal road on the Peninsula. The first
is that the roadworks have uncovered bone fragments of soldiers killed without
burial in the 1915 conflict. The second claim is that the roadworks have caused
permanent damage to the military heritage of the landscape. The Committee finds
both these claims to be true.
There
is no evidence to doubt the claim made on 12 March 2005 in the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun by Australian historian and
journalist Mr William Sellars that he had found 'what appear to be leg and hip
bones' at the road construction site. The newspaper articles noted that the
photographs refuted statements by the Australian and Turkish Governments that
no human remains have been dug up at
Gallipoli.
Mr Sellars explained to
the Committee that on 1 March 2005, Fairfax journalist Russell Skelton, Turkish
tourism operator Ilhami Gezici and his wife
Bernina, and 'a number of other people' were all present when the bones were
found. The Committee heard Mr Sellars confirm that
Turkish employees of the company carrying out the roadworks had removed the
bone fragment.
On
the question of damage to the miliary heritage of the landscape, the Committee
finds that significant sites of the ANZAC campaign between April and December
1915 have been lost forever. The coastal road has been widened beyond the
extent necessary to ensure visitors' safety; spoil has been deliberately dumped
onto the beach below; there were no environmental measures put in place to
minimise erosion from the construction; and no effort was made to preserve the
footsteps of the original ANZACs. Australian authorities failed to identify and
record sites of military heritage, despite representations to do so prior to
the work.
The
Committee finds that Australian authorities and the Australian government were
complacent in their response to allegations and evidence that this damage was
occurring. The Director of the Office of Australian War Graves, Air Vice
Marshal Gary Beck, told the Committee he did not think the proposed widening of
the coastal road would have any impact on the environment. For this reason, the
Department of Veterans' Affairs did not instruct the Australian Embassy in Ankara to raise any
objections. Air Vice Marshal Beck told the Committee of his surprise in late
February 2005 that parts of the road along Brighton Beach had 'quite
literally' been widened about one metre either side. Although AVM Beck briefed Minister Kelly on 8 March 2005 on the full
extent of the roadworks, the Prime Minister stated on 11 March that 'I'm
satisfied by the advice, that it [the roadworks] is being done properly'. The
Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Mr Mark Sullivan, stressed
that 'there was no engagement with us in respect of the roadworks prior to the
press becoming interested'.
Similarly,
there was no effort made to investigate allegations that bone fragments had
been uncovered. The Department of Veterans' Affairs accepted the advice of the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission that: 'our representatives have carried out
an extensive examination of the area and have found no evidence that human
remains have been disturbed'.
The
Committee finds this inaction particularly damning given the letter from
Minister Vale. The Australian Government placed too much faith in the
assurances of Turkish officials and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that
no damage was occurring. By its failure to safeguard the ANZAC Cove site and
its Australian military heritage, it defaulted on its responsibility to the
Australian people, particularly the expectations of veterans.
The fourth and final chapter of this report summarises
the evidence and previews future initiatives between Turkish and Australian
authorities to develop and preserve the ANZAC sector. Further roadwork upgrades
are planned for ANZAC Cove. Mr Sullivan told the
Committee that there was a 'fairly compelling argument' that the coastal road
will require some form of shore protection. The Australian Prime
Minister was briefed on the possibility of a rock
wall, and subsequently wrote to his counterpart in Turkey to seek
discussions on the subject. In response, the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Erdogan, has invited
Australian officials to suggest their preferred forms of shore protection.
There is also the Turkish Government's priority of upgrading the inland road
from Chunuk Bair to Lone
Pine. Both the Australian and Turkish Governments acknowledge that close by
this road are areas of extreme military heritage sensitivity. Mr Sellars commented in
his submission that this work would disturb many more human remains than were
unearthed by the roadworks at ANZAC Cove.
In a supplementary submission to the Committee, Mr Sellars also
expressed strong concern at recent proposals to develop a number of scenic
viewing areas for visitors at high points on the battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula. These areas
would be accompanied by carparks. In particular, Mr Sellars argued that
any construction at Chunuk Bair, Hill Q, the
Nek or near the Sphinx would be carried out over terrain that was fought over
by the Allies. Historians and experts advising the Gallipoli Historical National
Park have advised against these proposals. However, there
is no obligation for the National Parks Authority to heed this advice. The
Australian Government has not yet been officially informed of these proposals.
The Committee is concerned that the Australian
Government takes action to avert a repeat of the damage done by the 2005
construction on the coastal road. It welcomes the recent creation of an
Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) and acknowledges and supports the
cooperation of the Turkish and Australian Prime Ministers to undertake an
archaeological survey of the Gallipoli site. The IDC is chaired by the department
of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and has representatives from DVA, the Department
of the Environment and Heritage and DFAT. The lead role is taken by DVA, which
will provide suggestions to the Turkish Government on the completion of
roadworks at ANZAC Cove and lead on the broader historical and archaeological
review of the area.
The Committee is surprised at the lack of preliminary
research prior to the 2005 roadworks given the risks involved, the significance
of the site, and the knowledge of DVA, OAWG and DFAT officials that
construction was planned. It recommends a full military-historical audit of the
entire battlefield area at Gallipoli, with Australian priority for the ANZAC
area. In addition, the Committee recommends that a working group be established
by the government to advise it on the coordination of the conservation
management planning of the Gallipoli site. This group should include key
government departments (including DVA, DEH and OAWG), the Returned Services
League, the Australian War Memorial, and historians and archaeologists with
specialist knowledge of Gallipoli. The activities of this working group should
be documented in annual reports.
The Committee also recommends to the parliament that
it establish a joint standing military commemorations committee. This
Commemorations Committee will exercise bi-partisan oversight over all
commemorative programs, including the management of all sites of Australian
military heritage. It is hoped that the establishment of the Committee will
remove the risk of political exploitation of commemorative events by
the government of the day. There should also be special
arrangements whereby discussions and negotiations with the Government of Turkey
with respect to the international recognition of Gallipoli should be reported
to the new parliamentary standing committee on a quarterly basis.
Senator Michael Forshaw
Chair
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