An exhibit dedicated to Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith at the Australian War Memorial has been updated to reflect the criminal charges the soldier is facing over the alleged murders of unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners.
The change was made on Friday – in the wake of the arrest of Roberts-Smith on Tuesday – after historians accused the museum of undermining its commitment to historical truth in its refusal to remove or relocate the SAS corporal’s display in the site’s Hall of Valour.
“In April 2026, Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. The legal process is ongoing,” a plaque beside the soldier’s military suit and helmet in the museum now reads.
The plaque previously said the soldier “has not been charged with any offence under criminal law”. While the descriptive panel still includes information about the unsuccessful defamation case Roberts-Smith brought against this masthead, further minor alterations have been made including the removal of specific detail about his height.
Memorial director Matt Anderson announced the change at a press conference on Friday, saying: “Right now, the memorial’s commitment throughout this entire process, and the entire legal process, has been to ensure that the panel in the galleries is up-to-date and covers the facts”.
“The most important thing all of us can do now is allow justice to take its course, is to start with the presumption of innocence,” he said.
The 47-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and charged with five counts of war crime – murder after a joint investigation between the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Roberts-Smith remains behind bars after his lawyers declined to apply for release on bail.
The Australian War Memorial, which features exhibits on Roberts-Smith in both its physical gallery and online, said on Tuesday it would “review the wording” of the interpretive panel associated with the display. However, “the display of his uniform, equipment and medals remains in place”.
The panel has been updated several times as Roberts-Smith brought and then lost defamation proceedings against this masthead. The memorial was vociferously criticised this week by historians for delays in updating its wording and physical placement in the museum.
Michael McKernan, a senior lecturer in Australian history at the University of NSW and a deputy director at the memorial in the 1990s, said Australia should no longer celebrate Roberts-Smith and that his uniform display should be taken from the Hall of Valour.
“You can’t leave it there – it’s ludicrous. I mean, he is now charged with five murders; let’s get real – that’s not good,” he said, calling for urgent action.
“He has every right to be considered innocent until found guilty, but the full bench of the Federal Court of Australia upheld that, on the balance of civil probability, he is a war criminal.”
Anderson said on Friday that the Hall of Valour was the appropriate site for the soldier’s exhibit, saying Roberts-Smith’s actions in Afghanistan warranted the placement.
Since the arrest of Roberts-Smith on Tuesday, three poppy flowers have been placed above the plaque.
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Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.