Commonwealth vetoes SIEV-X memorial for Canberra

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says he is disappointed the Commonwealth Government has ruled out erecting a SIEV-X memorial on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

A group of artists had approached the Federal Government with the idea of building a memorial to the 353 asylum seekers who died when their boat sank in the Java Sea four years ago.

Mr Stanhope says the memorial is more appropriate as a national, not a local, project.

"One could argue if the Commonwealth is not prepared to support a SIEV-X memorial, that one would I think not necessarily look to the ACT as a location for such a memorial," he said.

"One would perhaps be looking more say to Darwin, or the Northern Territory, or the planned point of landing of the SIEV-X."