Anzac Day intervention sparks Monash calls

Scott Morrison's decision to save Anzac Day dawn services in the French countryside has sparked fresh calls for prime ministerial intervention in another aspect of military history.

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer has seized on the swift captain's call to again urge Mr Morrison to posthumously promote World War I commander General Sir John Monash to the rank of field marshal.

"I strongly welcome the prompt decision of the prime minister to retain the dawn service at Villers Bretonneux," Mr Fischer told AAP on Monday evening.

"I seek from him an equally prompt decision to push through the John Monash bill in the last three days of sitting of this parliament.

"This bill provides for the long overdue posthumous promotion of John Monash to the rank of field marshal, as a gift from the prime minister and the parliament in the same way that Menzies promoted (Thomas) Blamey to field marshal in 1950."

Mr Fischer and other supporters of the campaign to promote Sir John Monash argue his contribution to the allied victory in World War I has not been sufficiently recognised.

Last year, they urged the coalition government to grant him the highest military rank, hoping the elevation would coincide with the opening of the Monash Centre at Villers Bretonneux.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten supported the campaign but then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull decided against the idea.

Military leaders past and present argued against the posthumous promotion, saying it would break with protocol.

The prime minister stepped in on Monday to stop the Villers-Bretonneux dawn service being moved to later in the morning.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs has been blamed for trying to shift the start time.

Veterans organisations are now questioning whether it should be organising such events at all.

James Brown, president of the NSW RSL, said the department should focus on making sure veterans receive the medical help they need.

"Asking them to also run a series of really important ceremonies all over the world, maybe that's too much," he told Sky News.

Mr Brown believes the Australian War Memorial would be a better organisation to run such services.

The dawn service has been held at the memorial near Villers-Bretonneux since 2008, the year which marked the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.