Portfolio Budget Statements 2004-2005

Australia's natural and cultural heritage is identified, protected and conserved.

The Australian Government has national and international obligations to identify, protect and conserve our natural and cultural heritage.

Under recent heritage amendments to the EPBC Act places that Australians regard as part of their national identity will now be protected and conserved to the full extent provided under the Australian Constitution.

The Distinctively Australian programme underpins the new heritage system, and engages the community in identifying and protecting nationally significant heritage places. The new system establishes a Commonwealth Heritage List of places managed or owned by the Commonwealth, and a National Heritage List of Indigenous, natural and historic places of national significance.

A newly established independent expert advisory body, the Australian Heritage Council, is the principal adviser to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on heritage matters. The Council assesses nominations in relation to the listing of places in the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List. It also promotes the identification, assessment and conservation of heritage, and compiles and maintains the Register of the National Estate.

Places that are already in the Register of the National Estate, or are added to it, will be protected under the EPBC Act. Places in the Register of the National Estate that are included in the Commonwealth Heritage List or the National Heritage List, will benefit from improved management and protection.

The Australian Government remains committed to the identification, protection, conservation and presentation of Australia's World Heritage. Australia's most recent World Heritage place addition, Purnululu National Park in Western Australia's Kimberly region, was inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2003 for its extraordinary natural values. The Government has nominated the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens in Melbourne for World Heritage inscription in 2004.

The Government will continue to promote better management of Australia's World Heritage places in partnership with the states and territories, and will support activities that relate directly to discharging Australia's World Heritage responsibilities and priorities that reflect the national interest.

Conservation of biodiversity in the South-East Asia Pacific Region is a significant challenge for governments and communities. In cooperation with regional Governments and in partnership with non-Government organisations, community-based organisations and the private sector, the Australian Government will assist with the identification, protection and management of areas in the South-East Asia and the Pacific region recognised as global biodiversity hotspots and major wilderness areas.

The Government is committed to the protection of Australia's cultural heritage. It will continue to work in partnership with state and territory governments and the community to support heritage conservation projects through a range of financial assistance and grants programmes.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The Australian Government's medium term strategic priorities for Output 1.5 are to:

Australia's new heritage system is implemented through the Distinctively Australian programme. The Australian Government has established a National Heritage List of Indigenous, natural and historic places of national significance and established a Commonwealth Heritage List of places managed or owned by the Commonwealth.

The Government implements an open and consultative process for the nomination and assessment of places for the National Heritage List. This nomination process allows any person to nominate places of potential national heritage significance for assessment by the Australian Heritage Council and possible inclusion in the National Heritage List by the Minister.

Under Distinctively Australian, the Government is committed to improving the way that National and Commonwealth heritage places are managed. Management plans for National Heritage places will be prepared in cooperation with state and territory governments. Heritage strategies and management plans for Commonwealth heritage places will be developed.

The Government will continue to support activities that relate directly to discharging Australia's World Heritage responsibilities and priorities that reflect the national interest. The Government will, in cooperation with the states and territories, assess places for possible future nomination for World Heritage listing. The Government will give priority to directing financial assistance to areas such as promotion, community engagement and the development of strategic partnerships in a way that is effective, predictable and equitable.

The Government is committed to ensuring the continued support of cultural heritage programmes and initiatives. The Government will continue programmes that support on ground conservation of places of cultural significance and that promote the protection of Australia's movable cultural heritage, historic shipwrecks and national estate.

The establishment of an independent heritage advisory body to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, called the Australian Heritage Council, is an essential part of Australia's new heritage system which came into effect on 1 January 2004.

The Department of the Environment and Heritage will support the Australian Heritage Council in meeting its statutory responsibilities, including the assessment of the values of places nominated for inclusion on the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List, and the provision of advice on conserving and protecting listed values.

Through the Regional Natural Heritage Programme, and in cooperation with regional governments, the Australian Government will assist the identification, protection and management of areas in South-East Asia and the Pacific region recognised as global diversity hotspots or major wilderness areas. This will be achieved by providing assistance to the effective delivery of sustainable conservation programmes through partnerships with non government and community based organisations, the private sector and governments and multilateral regional organisations.

EFFECTIVENESS IN DELIVERING THE OUTPUT

Effectiveness Indicator: Heritage sites are effectively managed and protected

A key element of the new heritage system is a requirement for the Australian Government to use its best endeavours to ensure a management plan for a National Heritage place entirely within a state or territory is prepared. In addition, management plans and/or management strategies for National and Commonwealth listed places owned by the Australian Government must be prepared.

Graph 1.5.1 Number of heritage strategies and management plans prepared

New indicator, no data available. Heritage provisions of the EPBC Act commenced on 1 January 2004, and the first data set will be available for 2005-06.

Australia has 15 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. The first sites were inscribed in 1981 and the most recent site in 2003. The four sites inscribed since 1996 are Heard and McDonald Islands, Macquarie Island, the Greater Blue Mountains, and Purnululu National Park.

Graph 1.5.2 Number of World Heritage Listed sites and area protected.

The combined area of properties inscribed since 1996 is over 1,600,000 ha. Excluding the area of the Great Barrier Reef, which at 35 million ha is the world's largest World Heritage property, this addition represents an increase in the area protected in Australia by World Heritage listing of over 20 percent. The total area of Australia's World Heritage properties now totals over 44 million ha.

From 2000, Australia, along with other nations that already have sites on the World Heritage List, have agreed to limit to one the number of nominations it submits to the World Heritage Committee each year.

Effectiveness Indicator: The Australian Heritage Council contributes to the protection of national heritage

The Australian Heritage Council is a newly established advisory body to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. It will assess nominations of places to the National Heritage List and make recommendations to the Minister on the heritage significance of the places in accordance with its statutory obligations.

Graph 1.5.3 Number of heritage places assessed by the Council

New indicator, no data available. Heritage provisions of the EPBC Act commenced on 1 January 2004, and the first data set will be available for 2005 06.

PERFORMANCE IN DELIVERY OF DEPARTMENTAL OUTPUTS

Programme administration	Quantity	Number of projects/ activities approved under each programme.
	Quantity	Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place.
	Quality	Extent to which (self-imposed, Ministerial or external) timeframes are met.
	Quality	Accurate and timely approval, payment and acquittal of grants in accordance with legislation and guidelines.
	Quality	Accurate and timely payment of monies.
Statutory administration	Quantity	Extent to which statutory timeframes are met under legislation.
	Quantity	Number of referrals considered under legislation.
	Quantity	Number of plans/arrangements assessed under legislation.
Policy advising, ministerial and parliamentary	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of briefs provided by the Department.
	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of draft ministerial correspondence by the Department.
International	Quality	Extent to which Australia's strategic objectives is achieved through international fora.
Stakeholder awareness	Quantity	Information and education products distributed to stakeholders (measured by website hits, information material distributed, etc).
Heritage conservation		$5.577
Australian Heritage Council		$17.678
Total Price Output 1.5		$23.255m

Portfolio budget statements

Part C - Agency Budget Statements (continued)
Department of the Environment and Heritage (continued)

Section 2 - Outcomes and Outputs Information Outcome 1 - Environment (continued)
Performance Information for Departmental Outputs - Output 1.5 Heritage

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EFFECTIVENESS STATEMENT

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