Its war-time leader John Curtin, for whom the uni is named 

The new installation is 18 brass blades, 3.5m high which feature key statements made by Mr Curtin. Sounds to CMM a little like the Potomac-side FDR memorial in Washington.  There is a bit of a cult of Curtin as a leader who marshalled the power of state and society in a crisis. We are going to hear a lot more about it this year.