PM leads 100th anniversary Remembrance Day service

PM leads Remembrance Day commemorations in Canberra as nation reflects on 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.

Prime Minster Scott Morrison and the National President of the War Widows' Guild Of Australia Meg Green lay a wreath during the Remembrance Day Service at the Australian War Memorial on Sunday.

Scott Morrison has led Remembrance Day commemorations in Canberra this morning as the nation reflects on the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

The Prime Minister, joined by Bill Shorten and former prime minister Paul Keating, used his commemorative address to tell the stories of soldiers and volunteers who fought and died in the Great War.

“Through it all, we can’t avert our gaze from citizen soldiers of the First World War … who defined so much of who we are as a people today,” he said.

“They believed in country over self, they believed in each other when all seemed lost. They respected the change of command, but it was their character that drove their actions, as it is today.

“They laughed, they smoked, they told stories, they wept, they were as earthy as the land in which they were born from. And though it is hard to see during the fog of war and even harder to appreciate the scale of their sacrifice, they nevertheless changed the world together.”

Mr Morrison and his wife, Jenny, were greeted by a military band and Australian War Memorial chairman Kerry Stokes and War Memorial director Brendan Nelson.

Ben Roberts-Smith VC with the Veterans of Australia Motorcycle Club members at the Australian War Memorial.

The Prime Minister told the stories of soldiers such as William Rawlings — one of 1000 indigenous Australians to fight for Australia in World War One, despite not being recognised as Australians at the time — and Alice Chisholm, a mother of five who went to Egypt to set canteens and shelters for soldiers and then set up clubs for veterans returning home.

He also called on Australians to use Remembrance Day to remember and support current veterans.

“We honour the 102,000 Australians who have lost their lives in war for us. For our tomorrows they gave their todays,” he said.

“In silence, we commit ourselves to standing by those who have returned home.”

The Opposition Leader said in a statement today that Australia must commit to improve living standards for returning veterans today.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten, former prime minister Paul Keating and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Roll of Honour during Remembrance Day.

“This Remembrance Day, and every day, we must do more than wear a poppy to commemorate those who are gone. We must do better for our veterans and their families,” he said.

“We must bring greater energy and resources and understanding to the challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, mental health and suicide.”

Mr Keating attended the Canberra ceremony and received a special welcome and applause during the ceremony.

Mr Keating’s 1993 Remembrance Day eulogy for the Unknown Soldier, buried at the Australian War Memorial, is considered one of the greatest speeches by a politician in Australian history.