A tunnel of large glass arches will be constructed on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin as a permanent memorial to victims and survivors of institutionalised child sexual abuse.
The Canberra Times can reveal the successful design for the federal government's $6.7 million project, which was a recommendation from the royal commission into child sexual abuse.
The winning design from architects Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley, titled Transparency and Truth, features a row of glass arches hanging over a path which runs through a field of wildflowers.
The memorial will be built along the south-western edge of Acton Peninsula, near the National Museum of Australia.
Construction is expected to start in August.
The transparent glass structures are intended to symbolise the strength of survivors and the trauma and loss they have endured.
"The individual pieces of cast glass carry immense loads, yet together create forms of exceptional grace and lightness, representing both fragility and great resilience," the architects said in a statement.
A nine-member panel chaired by Peter McClellan, who headed the child abuse royal commission, picked Transparency and Truth from a field of 35 proposals which were submitted during a national design competition.
The panel included abuse survivors and representatives of victims, as well as design experts.
Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said Transparency and Truth was chosen because the panel considered it most closely aligned with the brief to provide victims, survivors and the general public with a place to acknowledge the "suffering of so many and commit to a constructive and positive future".
"The National Memorial would stand as a place of truth and reflection for people with lived experience and their families and supporters, as well as an enduring reminder of the responsibility to create a safer world for our children," she said.
The memorial's design has yet to be finalised, with the length of the walkway and the number and height of glass arches to be determined in the next phase of planning.
The exact time frame for the project's completion will hinge on the complexity of the final design and availability of materials, Senator Ruston said.
The royal commission handed down its final report in December 2017, concluding that child abuse was a "national tragedy" which had been perpetrated over generations within "many of our most trusted institutions".
Building a national memorial for abuse victims and survivors was among the report's key recommendations. The federal government committed funding to the project in October 2020.
"The National Memorial will provide both a beautiful place for quiet reflection and an opportunity for deepening community understanding of the tragic consequences of abuse," Mr McClellan said.
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
- Mensline 1300 78 99 78
- Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
- 1800 Respect 1800 737 732
