Why Neil Mitchell thinks lighting the Shrine up rainbow is ‘a step too far’

The Shrine of Remembrance will be lit up rainbow on Sunday in tribute to the service of LGBTQI+ members of the Australian Defence Force.

The illumination coincides with the beginning of an exhibition: Defending with Pride.

Neil Mitchell says lighting up the monument is a “step too far”.

“The rainbow flag can be divisive. If it stood just firmly for respect for the community, and for decency and tolerance, no problem at all,” the 3AW Mornings host said.

“Have a look at the division around sportsmen not wanting to wear the gay pride colours … The Shrine should be above politics and political debate.

“I remember once filming a television piece in the forecourt — it was about veterans and we were using the Shrine as a backdrop, and one of the officials came over and said to me, quite rightly, ‘You can’t film here. The Shrine will not be used as a prop for whatever you’re doing’. I thought ‘What an excellent point, that is fair enough’ and off I went.

“But if you can’t film respectful material on the forecourt, you shouldn’t be lighting the building up like a gay billboard.”

Press PLAY below to hear why Neil Mitchell thinks it’s a “step too far”

CEO of the Shrine of Remembrance, Dean Lee, says the decision to light up the monument was “considered very carefully”.

He says it’s not a divisive move.

“The ADF has recognised gay, lesbian and bisexual members since 1992, so we’re talking 30 years of recognition within the ADF, so I don’t know if it’s that divisive within the defence community, but I recognise some members of our society will query why these things are happening,” Mr Lee told Neil Mitchell.

The Shrine has only recently begun to be lit up alongside other monuments across the city to mark causes and major events.

“Most recently we lit, with our other civic institutions, in remembrance of police service and those members lost in service, we also illuminated for the assassination of Abe Shinzo,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Press PLAY below to hear the Mr Lee explaining how the decision was reached

(Image: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)