Veterans’ Affairs Minister Nathan Guy has launched a public consultation programme today on how to ballot attendance at Anzac Day 2015 in Gallipoli. April 25th 2015 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. Because of the historical….. significance, we expect many more people than usual will want to attend commemorations. The Anzac Commemorative Site in Gallipoli has a limited capacity, which means New Zealand and Australia will need to manage numbers in 2015 to ensure everyone’s safety.
A balloting system will be used to allocate attendance passes, and we want to receive the public’s input on how this should be run. For example, we’re keen to hear if people think certain groups, such as descendants of those who served, should have priority, or whether all places in the ballot should be open to all New Zealanders. While the agreed number of visitors won’t be finalised until Turkish authorities have completed their assessment of the site capacity, we expect that New Zealand will have around 2000 places and Australia 8000.“The ratio of New Zealand to Australian places will reflect each country’s casualties at Gallipoli in 1915,” says Mr Guy.
The Australian Government is also launching a consultation programme today. After hearing from the public the Government will make a decision in early 2013 on the balloting principles. The survey and more information can be found at www.gallipoli2015.govt.nz, with submissions due by 25 November.
