The Australian War Memorial will lose 19 staff over the next three years, as it becomes the latest victim of the Abbott government's efficiency dividend.
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In an email to staff on Wednesday, director Brendan Nelson said the staff cuts were ''unavoidably necessary'' to protect the long-term future of the memorial.
''Over the next three financial years, funding reductions have been applied, which will impact upon our budget,'' he said in the email.
''As 60 per cent of the memorial's budget is staffing, staffing reduction is unavoidable.''
Mr Nelson had already warned staff in December 2013 that if the federal government didn't reverse funding cuts totalling $3 million to the Veterans' Affairs portfolio, jobs would be lost.
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At the time, he said he was lobbying ministers to reconsider the issue, including Veterans' Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson.
Mr Nelson said the cuts would come from ''back-of-house'' personnel as much as possible.