Heritage strategies for Commonwealth agencies
On 1 January 2004, heritage amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) came into force. Amendments were also made to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (the Regulations). These amendments help ensure that the heritage system identifies, protects and manages the natural, Indigenous and historic heritage values of places under Commonwealth ownership or control.
Under the Act, each Australian Government agency that owns or controls one or more places with heritage values must prepare a heritage strategy.
What is a heritage strategy?
A heritage strategy is a written document that integrates heritage conservation and management within the agency's overall property planning and management framework.
Its purpose is to help the agency manage and report on the steps it has taken to protect and conserve the Commonwealth heritage values of properties under its ownership or control.
Heritage strategy timelines
A Commonwealth agency has 2 years from the time it first owns or controls a place, in which to develop a heritage strategy and provide it to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (the Minister).
The first step an agency should take in the strategy process is to conduct an identification of heritage values, and consult with the Australian Heritage Council. The Council may advise that a strategy is not warranted if no heritage values are identified in those places owned or controlled by an agency.
Strategy reviews
The agency must review its heritage strategy every 3 years and give the Minister a written report of the review. Under the Regulations, the report must cover the following:
- an outline of consultation undertaken with relevant stakeholders in review process
- a summary of the agency's achievements against its objectives for management of its heritage places
- an evaluation of the success of each of the matters included in an Commonwealth agency heritage strategy in achieving the identification, protection, conservation and presentation of Commonwealth heritage values
- an update on the extent to which the identification and assessment of Commonwealth heritage values of all agency property has been achieved, and the values included in an agency's heritage places register
- an update on the progress and timeliness of the preparation of management plans for Commonwealth heritage places
- an outline of physical changes that have occurred to the agency's Commonwealth heritage places since the last strategy was prepared, and of any expected changes
- an update on progress with Commonwealth heritage training programs
- a specification of the timeframe for updating the heritage strategy following the review
- an update on other Commonwealth heritage issues relevant to the agency's management of Commonwealth heritage places in accordance with the Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles.
Preparing a strategy
A heritage strategy must include mention of the period within which an agency must:
(a) conduct a program to identify Commonwealth heritage values for each place its owns or controls, and
(b) make a management plan under section 341S of the Act.
An agency's heritage strategy should be consistent with Commonwealth Heritage management principles.
Records management
Agencies that own or manage places that have existing heritage listing along with those places with potential for a statutory heritage assessment are required to:
- develop a register of the information, and
- keep the records associated with all stages of the conservation of the property in a permanent archive.
Heritage registers have been established by agencies such as CALM in Western Australia and the CSIRO.
Seeking advice
Agencies must seek appropriate professional advice and ensure that relevant Indigenous people are actively involved in the process of identifying their heritage places and values.
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