COVER SHEET FOR INPUT INTO AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE STRATEGY
COVER SHEET FOR INPUT INTO AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE STRATEGY This completed form must be included with your input. If completing by hand, please ensure your writing is clear and legible. CONTACT DETAILS Please provide at least one contact address; a telephone number is optional. If you are making a submission for a group or organisation, please provide contact information for one member of your group or organisation. NOTE: The Department needs to collect some personal information in case we need to contact you should further information or clarification be required on your input. Personal information may be disclosed to the Minister for the Environment or the Secretary of the Department or to employees of Australian Government agencies assisting the Department for the purposes outlined above. Some of your input may be included in subsequent publications. Organisation (if applicable) National Trusts of Australia (NTA) Title CEO First name John Surname/Family name Metcalfe Postal address PO Box 413 Campbell ACT 2612 Email address [email protected] Telephone number 02 6247 6766 INTERNET PUBLICATION Public submissions may be published in full on the website, including any personal information of authors and/or other third parties contained in the submission. Please tick this box if you wish for your input to remain confidential (that is, you do not consent to having your input published on the internet. ANONYMITY Please tick this box if you want your input to be treated as anonymous (that is, you do not consent to having your name, or the name of your organisation, published on the internet with your input). THIRD PARTY PERSONAL INFORMATION 1 Please tick this box if your input contains personal information of third party individuals, and strike out the statement that is not applicable in the following sentence: The third party individual consents / does not consent to the publication of their information. HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS Return BOTH the cover sheet and the input template by email (preferred option) or post to the addresses below. Email: [email protected] Post: Australian Heritage Strategy Heritage Branch Department of the Environment GPO Box 787 CANBERRA, ACT 2601 * If you wish for only parts of your input to be treated as confidential, it would be appreciated if you could provide the confidential parts of your input as a separate document. Email: Post: 2 TEMPLATE FOR INPUT INTO THE AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE STRATEGY Overview This template should be used to provide comments on the content of the Australian Heritage Strategy. Contact Details Name of Organisation: Name of Author: Date: National Trusts of Australia Dr Peter Dowling 5 June 2014 Questions Please add your comments for some or all of the questions provided with the Strategy’s three high level themes below. If you have other information you wish to provide, please add this in the “Other comments” field. 1. Improve National Leadership What are the most important things the Australian Government should be doing to offer leadership in heritage? How can the Australian Government provide guidance and support for our national heritage—while still empowering other government, industry and community members to take responsibility and get involved? What priority areas are important to you, your organisation or group? What practical actions would you suggest to improve national heritage leadership? A note on the comments: The following comments and observations of the Draft Strategy for Australia’s Heritage has been compiled by the National Trusts of Australia (NTA) with input from state and territory Trusts. Previous comments and papers relating to an Australian heritage strategy have been prepared by the National Trusts of Australia and are referenced and hyperlinked at the end of this submission. National Leadership: • Conservation of our natural and cultural heritage is in the public interest of all Australians; therefore there is an important role for the Commonwealth to provide leadership. The National Trusts of Australia strongly support the statement quoted in the State of Environment (SoE) report 2011: Australia lacks leadership in heritage management at a national level, partly through statutory limitations on the role of the Australian Heritage 3 • • Council, and partly through diminution of resources and responsibilities and, in a conceptual sense, from the absence of national heritage strategy (SoE 2011 p. 745). Therefore we welcome the initiative of this draft strategy and see it as the first step towards Commonwealth leadership in heritage management. Facilitating working relationships across the heritage sector would be a positive and achievable goal. This could include government agencies, community organisations and tourism agencies that work in different parts of natural, Indigenous and historic heritage. There must be a rigorous approach through the legislative processes, Commonwealth and State, aimed at protecting and conserving the heritage values of places. This should include retaining Commonwealth decision making on referrals under the EPBC Act. • Protection to be given to places formerly on the Register of the National Estate (RNE) but which have not been added to statutory registers. • A body such as the present Australian Heritage Council should consist of a well-‐balanced group such as it is at present, with appropriate expertise and selected on a non-‐political basis. It should continue to provide advice to Ministers on heritage registrations of Commonwealth, National and World Heritage lists and referrals under the EPBC Act. Advice from this body should be acted upon for the benefit of conserving heritage places and final decisions to be free from political or developmental influences. • Funding sources should be put in place to facilitate the effectiveness of the strategy at all levels and for non-‐government heritage For example, the Community Heritage and Icons Programme which will include: Annual funding to support the important work of the Federation of Historical Societies (FAHS), the Australian Heritage Council, and the Australian Council of National Trusts (Department of Environment, 2013, A Plan for a Cleaner Environment, P.18) • Provisions created for key positions within government bodies responsible for managing heritage and conservation matters who will be concerned with the implementation and efficacy of the strategy. Unfortunately, while there is recognition and support for national leadership by the Commonwealth, there is a distinct absence of corresponding public sector resources. The limited resources available to the Department of Environment limits their actions to managing federal lands and agencies, places on the National and Commonwealth lists and EPBC Act referrals. The department undertakes very few broader actions, especially in relation to local or state heritage (SoE, 2011, p. 747). The NTA therefore urges that public sector positions concerned with heritage conservation must be adequately staffed and resourced to ensure 4 that best practice conservation management is continually provided. • Contribution on the international scene by providing support to other countries to develop or expand their heritage protection processes. Working with others in developing policies for disaster management of heritage places. • Support for a better understanding of sustainability and energy rating schemes as they apply to heritage and existing buildings so there is the best total outcome, which may require modification to existing schemes. • The future pressures of climate change and population change and their effects on the management and conservation of heritage places should be recognized and researched by government and effective mechanisms and management strategies be instituted to provide long-‐term protection. • In terms of national leadership, care should be exercised by Government in revising the boundaries of inscribed World Heritage areas and planned developments, which are likely to impact on the outstanding universal values of inscribed World Heritage places. This draft document proposes actions to ‘further promote Australia’s standing internationally as a world leader in heritage management’ (p. 18). In order to maintain such a world standing in heritage management the Commonwealth should seek to maintain a strong and deferential relationship with the UNESCO World Heritage Council. • The NTA recommends as part of a national leadership initiative the promotion of the Australia’s Community Heritage website to record the activities and achievements of the Green Army and the Community Heritage and Icons Programme. • The community is becoming very disillusioned with the National Heritage List and its processes. Part of the review of the processes of the National List could include better communication of the List’s purpose and objectives, particularly in the area of historic heritage. • Whilst there have been some excellent programs recently, including the Jobs Fund program that delivered significant outcomes for conservation of heritage places and supported specialist heritage trades, resourcing remains an issue for Australia’s built heritage in particular. The Commonwealth heritage strategy must identify innovative new ways to support both public and private sector heritage work. Australia clearly lags behind other parts of the world in innovative funding and support models and we believe that the Commonwealth must show greater leadership in this area. Leadership should also be demonstrated by creation of high-‐level quality frameworks. − National standards should be developed for heritage practice. For example, the Australian Building Code should incorporate standards on traditional building practice 5 − Commonwealth grant programs benefiting buildings should have mandatory sustainability outcomes − Commonwealth and state heritage capital grant programs must be linked to training and skills outcomes − Lead a national research program for assessing the value of embodied energy of heritage places into green star rating systems − Embrace concept of centres of excellence for heritage trades and skills − Link centres of excellence to national skills and education agenda and funding − Link NTPP program outcomes to provision of properties as training centres − For nationally listed places, the Commonwealth should facilitate best practice outcomes for capital projects. Please also refer to attached submission 2. Pursue Innovative Partnerships What partnerships are most needed within the heritage sector? What heritage roles and responsibilities should be led by governments, peak heritage organisations or community groups in the 21st century? How should resources be shared through heritage partnerships to ensure the greatest return on agreed priorities? Can you provide examples of successful innovative partnerships you or your organisation have established? Innovative Partnerships: • The NTA appreciates and supports annual funding under the National Trust Partnership Programme with the Commonwealth Government and wishes to see this partnership continue and develop into the future. We also support the Commonwealth partnership initiatives through the Community Heritage and Icons Programme. • As heritage resources continue to dwindle, the role of partnerships between government and community organisations in achieving the goals of the plan will become even more important. • The NTA also strongly appreciates the wide scope, applications and the proposed funding allocations of the Cleaner Environment programme (A Plan for a Cleaner Environment), particularly the community partnerships aimed at instilling a sense of pride in Australia’s heritage. • The NTA strongly supports the Green Army initiative and is particularly supportive of extending its scope to include places/properties of heritage 6 value. Several State National Trust bodies have developed submissions to participate in this programme and assist in its development. • The NTA urges the Commonwealth to develop a process for the resolution of conflict resulting from concerns related to State/Commonwealth/ non-‐ government management of heritage values. • The NTA urges the Commonwealth to develop a process of maintaining statutory heritage places registers making information on them accessible to management staff, researchers, those responsible for conservation as well as to the general public. Information now in hard-‐copy format from the Australian Heritage Data Base (former RNE) to be digitally accessible. Access should be hassle-‐free through a user-‐friendly web site. • The NTA gives support for best practice heritage conservation. We urge the Commonwealth to institute a process within the Strategy to develop auditing guidelines in conservation areas to see if they are working and implementing best practice measures if required. A process for monitoring, reviewing, reporting on the implementation of the Australian Heritage Strategy could be implemented under partnership between the NTA and the Department of Environment to fulfil this process. • The NTA also sees an opportunity to partner with the Commonwealth in the development of an outline of the existing use and management of properties owned by government agencies, non-‐government organisations and private entities – determine whether the use of a property does not and will not conflict with the stated heritage values, staffing, open hours. Adaptive reuse should be consistent with the principles of the Burra Charter. • A one stop shop for heritage regulations could be considered. • National leadership should include facilitating the development of working relationships and joint projects between all our national community heritage organisations. It is particularly important to build relationships across the silos of natural, Indigenous and historic heritage, to work together to pool resources and achieve joint outcomes. • National leadership should also include facilitating relationships and joint projects between the tourism and heritage sectors, particularly the national organisations involved in both. • Proposed actions to explore increasing resources, crowd-‐funding and philanthropic partnerships will require specialist resources to make progress. For example, professional fundraising staff working in the department may be needed to make any substantial progress in this very difficult area. Again, having specialists in this area facilitating relationships between heritage organisations and other partners could prove productive. 7 • Whilst the National Heritage List is a valid way to recognise and protect the most significant places, concentration on national heritage places is at the detriment to local places, which constitute the vast majority of heritage places. Funding needs to be directed to local government to complete heritage studies. Given the widespread attention to urban areas in the last 30 years, there is a particular need to look at regional and rural areas. − Work towards a holistic understanding of heritage across Australia. Provide funding support for targeted local heritage study programs − Develop and publish a national research program into places with potential national heritage status − Support regional and rural areas identify places of local heritage significance. Please refer to attached submission 3. Enable encourage communities to understand and care for their heritage What should the Australian heritage sector be doing to help the Australian community better engage in heritage activities? How can a shared understanding of our national heritage be developed and best celebrated together? Do you have any examples of activities that have been successful in promoting local heritage to a broader audience? What is the role of technology and new media in providing greater community access to heritage? Community engagement: • Consultation and/or liaison with key non-‐government heritage related organisations. These organisations have an enormous body of expertise and experience, which can by utilised by the Commonwealth. An example for cultural heritage is nationally through National Trusts of Australia, Federation of Australian Historical Societies, and Australia ICOMOS. These organisations have a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on national heritage issues. • Engaging with youth such as a wider use of social media and multi-‐media applications to promote existing heritage. The Government’s heritage portal is seen as a positive start in this respect. The NTA can play a role along with the Commonwealth in enhancing and further developing this website. • Public engagement is one of the key aims of the National Trust movement. The NTA together with State and Territory Trusts has recently played a role 8 with BearCage Productions (http://www.bearcage.com.au) in engaging the public through the production of ‘Building Australia’, a documentary on the history and heritage values of Australian homes from the early colonial period in New South Wales to contemporary times. The documentary was broadcast on Fox TV ‘s History Channel and has been distributed overseas. A further documentary is being planned to investigate public buildings. • Development of programs or involvement in training in heritage conservation, interpretation and presentation, both academic and community-‐based – Examples are: supporting tertiary institutions with degree courses in conservation management; supporting the advancement of heritage trades and professional skills training; staff training programs and/or opportunities for non-‐government managers of heritage listed properties; development of a national register of heritage trades and consultants providing community-‐ based workshops for DIY enthusiasts and community heritage organisations. • The NTA believes that there is little likelihood of Trust groups supporting moving their Heritage Festival dates to January. The current date is focused around the ICOMOS International Day of Monuments & Sites on April 18. Whilst that date in itself might not have much community recognition, it is an International Day for heritage. The National Trust currently coordinates a month-‐long national program of more than 1,500 events during a four-‐week period launching from that date, and this generally embraces Easter. Many of the National Trust state heritage festival programs have a very long history, and it is only in the last two years that the National Trust as a national organisation has been able to coordinate all states to produce heritage festival programs during the same period. Holding events in January is very unsuccessful for the northern parts of Australia as it is the middle of the wet season and cyclone season and is consequently a low season for tourism. It is also at the end of the school holidays and many volunteers that organise local events are on holidays or travelling during January in much of northern Australia. The question should look more strategically at how to increase community engagement with Heritage Festivals based on evaluation and data, rather than looking at just one aspect such as the date. • The option of developing National Heritage Awards would be strongly supported. Heritage Awards at a state level have proved to be very successful in recognising great projects and the achievements of many dedicated individuals. • The National Trust Australian Heritage Festival has grown strongly over the last three years and has a recognisible brand and identity. The focus in not on national icons but local places. The Festival is an ideal place to promote all heritage values and diversity of heritage places and stories to all sections of the Australian community. 9 − Support and fund community festivals, events, and interpretation activity that reflect the diversity of heritage and culture in Australia − Assist wider community to understand benefits of heritage conservation by sponsoring heritage awards − Provide dedicated funding for incorporation of Aboriginal places into national heritage festival − Provide funding for Incorporation of Aboriginal heritage values into strategic planning for all places, programs, and projects. Please also refer to attached submission Other comments Please refer to attached submission below 10 SUBMISSION A Strategy for Australia’s Heritage Comments on the April 2014 Draft for Consultation INTRODUCTION The National Trusts of Australia (NTA) appreciates the invitation to offer comments on the consultation draft of A Strategy for Australia’s Heritage. The eight State and Territory National Trust bodies that constitute the NTA through its peak body the Australian Council of National Trusts makes this submission on behalf of its members. The NTA is a community-‐based, non-‐government organisation, committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage through its education programmes and its custodianship of heritage places and objects. The NTA is the only conservation organisation in Australia concerned with all aspects of heritage, natural and cultural, tangible and intangible. Collectively the organisation owns or manages over 300 heritage places (the majority held in perpetuity), manages a volunteer workforce of 7000 while also employing about 350 people nationwide. COMMENTS The NTA welcomes the Commonwealth Government’s initiative of developing a nationally oriented heritage strategy for Australia and agrees with its aim of providing a framework built on national leadership, partnerships and community engagement. However, the level of strategic direction in the commitments and proposed actions of the draft is a little disappointing. Some of the state heritage strategies probably address these issues in a more comprehensive way. The NTA strongly suggests that these three pillars on which the Strategy is based be extended to include four more distinct pillars of Conservation, Interpretation, Education and Research. The NTA sees an effective strategy for the management and long-‐term conservation of Australia’s heritage built on: • National leadership • Innovative Partnerships • Community Engagement 11 • • • • Conservation Interpretation Education Research The final version of the Strategy should include some clear direction on who is responsible for the delivery of the commitments and proposed actions so that an annual review of progress can be undertaken. What is heritage? The definition of heritage should be changed to ‘special places and things’ rather than ‘special places or things’. The definition should reflect a more holistic and collaborative approach to heritage, rather than perpetuate the current fragmentation that exists between the parts. The explanation of heritage also should include some positive and inspirational comments on how heritage contributes to a positive future, how it makes a difference and how it improves people’s lives. A Heritage Strategy for Australia -‐ vision An effective national strategy for the protection of heritage places requires a shared understanding of what constitutes Australia’s heritage and a set of policies and actions which allows not only preservation, but also recognition of our heritage as a dynamic entity. An Australian Heritage Strategy should be guided by a mission, a vision, clearly stated values and sound actions. The strategy should also recognize the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the current programmes and mechanisms in place throughout the country and provide insightful policies for their enhancement and efficacy. An Australian heritage strategy, while being directed at cultural, natural, tangible and intangible heritage, must be forward looking conversant with future conservation concerns, such as environmental change, population increase and digital sources. Conservation best practice: • The objectives of the Strategy must always be consistent with: a) the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter and b) the Australia Natural Heritage Charter. Both these Charters set standards of best practice for those who provide advice, make decisions about, or undertake works to places/collections of cultural (Indigenous and historic) and natural significance. 12 Strategy Review: Commitment is sought for a time frame for review and revision of the Strategy. For example, a five-‐year plan followed by a review of the strategy’s efficacy. Issues to identify and understanding would include how effective the registration process is; how environmental change will impact on heritage places and how to mitigate against negative impacts; how population increase will impact on heritage places; and the promotion of heritage on a national level. The draft document states: This Strategy is built around a central vision of our natural and cultural heritage being valued by all Australians, protected for future generations and cared for by the community. However, the document has very few defined strategic outcomes or associated actions and instead has an over-‐reliance on the Green Army Programme. In WA and VIC the National Trust has been developing protocols for Aboriginal involvement in all National Trust places, as well as interpretation guidelines for programs and projects, including employment. There is insufficient recognition of the role of Aboriginal heritage in a national strategy. In many cases the work of identification of heritage is undertaken at the level of local government. Whilst the work of the Australian Heritage Council in identifying places of national significance accepts that places may have a combination of all three values of historic, natural and indigenous, other statutory frameworks work in a way that separates these values. The Australian Heritage Council is barely mentioned in the draft strategy. They should be the champion, facilitator and monitor for delivery of the Strategy and related programmes. Heritage Funding An integral part of a sustainable and effective Australian Heritage Strategy will be in the funding processes. A committed, reliable, and continuing budget allocation process to the strategy and the heritage places free from political influence is required to support the Strategy. In terms of national heritage funding and resources the reality is that the allocated resources and funding confines government activities to generally reactive processes and places limits on the national assessment and listing processes (SoE, 2011, p. 717). The current funding arrangements for the community-‐based heritage organisations are too often: • subject to political and departmental influence due to the structure of grant processes; • overly complex; • not tied to the priority needs of the recipients; and, 13 • subject to significant uncertainty of both timing and quantum. The conservation of heritage properties is in the public interest, and while being necessary, is expensive, particularly on the budgets of non-‐government organisations such as the NTA. There is a long-‐term cost when activities such as recurrent maintenance are deferred due to lack of funding. Normally this results in further fabric deterioration resulting in a more significant expenditure being required to undertake major restoration. There is then a role for Government in a leadership role in developing innovative sources of funding for heritage conservation for both public and private agencies. A commitment to investigating a mechanism for a heritage funding initiative, which involves the overarching themes of this draft strategy -‐ national leadership, innovative partnerships and community engagement – should be included. Establishment of an independent funding source for heritage through, for example a national lottery should be considered. An independent board working on specific criteria should administer the proceeds of the lottery. Working models of such an approach are operating here and in the United Kingdom. Lotterywest (http://www.lotterywest.wa.gov.au ) Lotterywest is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. It sells lottery tickets and scratch cards (instant win scratchies) through a network of newsagents and authorised retailers. It also syndicates national lottery games including Saturday Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, Monday Lotto and Wednesday Lotto. Participation can also be done online through the official website. All the revenue spent on Lotterywest's games is ultimately returned to the Western Australian community, with the majority as prize money, as well as in grants to community groups. A set percentage is put aside for funding public hospitals, sporting groups and arts and heritage organisations. The UK Heritage Lottery Fund (www.hlf.org.uk) The United Kingdom’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was instituted in 1994. The HLF is administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), a non-‐departmental public body accountable to Parliament via the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The NHMF is responsible for distributing a share of money raised through the National Lottery for Good Causes, to heritage places across the UK, The HLF is the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, with around £375 million a year to invest in new projects. Since 1994, HLF has supported almost 32,000 projects allocating £4.7billion across the UK. Funding projects include: 14 • • • • • • • • • • • People’s memories and experiences (often recorded as ‘oral history’ or spoken history) Histories of people and communities (including people who have migrated to the UK) Languages and dialects Cultural traditions such as stories, festivals, crafts, music, dance and costumes Histories of places and events Historic buildings and streets Archaeological sites Collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives Natural and designed landscapes and gardens Wildlife, including special habitats and species and Places and objects linked to our industrial, maritime and transport history. Case Study UK Heritage Lottery Fund 2014 sees the beginning of a series of centenaries marking the First World War. Key events and developments relating to the conflict will be commemorated, including the Battle of the Somme, the Gallipoli campaign, the changing role of women, the Armistice and the dedication of the first war memorials. The Heritage Lottery Fund can provide funds to assist in marking these important anniversaries by exploring the history and legacy of the war and helping people understand how it impacted on communities across the UK. The NHMF is working with the Imperial War Museums (IWM), who are leading the UK’s cultural commemorative programme for the centenaries. HLF applicants can access IWM expertise and resources by joining the centenary partnership. War Memorials There has recently been increased interest in the condition of war memorials across the UK. There are a number of funding sources available to help people look after and learn from their local war memorials and to commemorate the heritage of sacrifice and conflict. 15 National Trust support While acknowledging that further more rigorous expansion will be needed in the future to develop the Australian Heritage Strategy towards a more effective process in its role of conserving Australia’s heritage, the NTA welcomes the current draft document. We see it as a first step in the right direction for the benefit of present and future generations. The NTA is more than willing to be an active participant in the actions and processes outlined in the draft. With our extensive expertise and long practice in heritage conservation and management, particularly in the stated visions of national leadership, innovative partnerships and community engagements, we can be a valuable and professional organisation assisting the Commonwealth in the future implementation and development of the Australian heritage Strategy. National Trusts of Australia PO Box 413 Campbell ACT 2612 www.nationaltrust.org.au 6 June 2014 16 APPENDIX ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRUSTS of AUSTRALIA The National Trusts of Australia is the trading name of the Australian Council of National Trusts that is the peak body representing member associations in every state and territory dedicated to preserving heritage. Our Vision is: A nation celebrating and conserving its cultural, Indigenous and natural heritage for present and future generations. National Trust contribution to Australia’s heritage The National Trusts throughout Australia have an outstanding record of conserving and managing valuable historic properties and natural features. Many of our treasured places would have disappeared but for the actions of the organisation, staff, volunteers and its members. The Trusts have achieved a high level of heritage leadership locally and nationally through: • our heritage listings of places which provide recognition of heritage values; • our conservation and interpretation programmes aimed at maintaining those heritage values • our partnerships with government, business and other non-‐government bodies • our on-‐going and developing education programmes for schools, many of which are consistent with the national curriculum • our community engagements as evidenced by our membership base and teams of volunteers. The heritage places we manage and care for include buildings, public art, industrial sites, historic landscapes, heritage gardens and trees, urban bushlands, ‘natural’ landscapes and collections. To assist in the management of these places and collections it is estimated that National Trust volunteers contribute more than 264,000 hours of work to the National Trust programs per annum – valued conservatively at $25 per hour, this gives a total contribution of about $6.6 million to the identification, conservation and protection of Australia’s heritage. Previous reports relating to Heritage Strategy The Australian Council of National Trusts has produced the following reports relating to heritage strategies under the National Trust Partnership Programme (NTPP): 17 ACNT 2011 Sustainability Population Strategy, ACNT submission to the Sustainable Population Strategy, ACNT, Canberra. ACNT 2012 Australian Heritage Strategy Development. The Domestic Heritage Environment, Financing Heritage, Report to the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, ACNT, Canberra. ACNT 2013 Sustainable Management of National Trust Places Across Australia, ACNT, Canberra. ACNT 2013 A Way Forward. A paper for the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, ACNT, Canberra. To access these documents click here. 18
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